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CATALOGUE  OF  SCULPTURE 

BY  PRINCE  PAUL  TROUBETZKOY 


EXHIBITED  BY 

THE  AMERICAN  NUMISMATIC  SOCIETY 

AT  THE  ALBRIGHT  ART  GALLERY 
MARCH  27  TO  APRIL  27 

WITH  INTRODUCTION  BY 
CHRISTIAN  BRINTON 


89-1911-9 


CATALOGUE  OF  SCULPTURE 

BY  PRINCE  PAUL  TROUBETZKOY 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/catalogueofsculp00amer_0 


Monument  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  J II  (1881-1894) 
Place  Znaraienskai’a,  St.  Petersburg 
Dedicated  June  5,  1909 


CATALOGUE  OF  SCULPTURE 


BY  PRINCE  PAUL  TROUBETZKOY 

EXHIBITED  BY 

THE  AMERICAN  NUMISMATIC  SOCIETY 

AT  THE  ALBRIGHT  ART  GALLERY 

MARCH  27  TO  APRIL  27 

WITH  INTRODUCTION  BY 
CHRISTIAN  BRINTON 


89-1911-9 


Copyright,  1911,  by 

The  Hispanic  Society 


PAUL  TROUBETZKOY 

BY 

CHRISTIAN  BRINTON 


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l‘rojcct  for  a inominient  of  tlie  Km])cror  Alexander  TT 
Czar  of  Russia  1855  to  iS8i, 

W'lio  from  1858  |o  1801  enianci I ),'il ed  j.^,(>oo,noo  serfs 


PAUL  TROUBETZKOY 


I 

BIOGRAPHICAL 

The  creator  of  the  spirited  and  graphic  phase  of 
modern  sculpture  which  is  herewith  collec- 
tively presented  for  the  hrst  time  in  /\merica  was 
horn  February  i6,  1866,  at  Intra,  Lago  Maggiore. 
1’he  second  son  of  Prince  Pierre  and  Princess  Ada 
Tronhetzkoy,  nee  Winans,  his  childhood  and  youth 
were  passed  amid  the  picturesque  surroundings  of 
his  birthplace,  where  nature  and  art  seem  to  have 
achieved  their  own  serene  and  indissolnlde  unity  of 
form  and  color.  Despite  the  fact  that  there  were 
no  s])ecific  esthetic  ])roclivities  in  his  immediate  ances- 
try, the  boy's  artistic  instincts  manifested  themselves 
at  the  cons])icnonsly  early  age  of  six,  that  which  first 
aroused  his  interest  in  such  matters  being  the  visit 
to  the  family  home  of  a well-known  Italian  jiortrait- 
ist  who  was  engaged  in  ])ainting  likenesses  of  his 

1 3 ;] 


parents.  Though  he  was  fond  of  drawing,  and  had 
also  amused  himself  by  cleverly  tinting  the  counte- 
nances of  a set  of  marionettes  with  which  he  and  his 
brothers  used  to  play,  it  was,  however,  sculpture  that 
attracted  him  most.  He  began  modeling  in  soft 
bread,  and  later  in  wax,  his  subjects  being  the  heads 
of  dogs  and  other  domestic  pets  so  plentiful  around 
the  house.  Desiring  to  widen  the  scope  of  his  activ- 
ity, he  next  chose  as  model  a tattered  mendicant  who 
used  to  loiter  about  the  villa  gates,  and  whom  he 
bribed  to  pose  by  offering  him  his  own  dessert  of  fruit 
or  sweets,  an  act  of  epicurean  abnegation  sufficiently 
rare  in  a child  not  yet  in  the  teens.  Although  strong, 
healthy,  and  devoted  to  exercise  in  the  open  air,  par- 
ticularly tramping  or  riding  among  the  mountains 
and  along  the  lake  front,  he  was  uncommonly  ab- 
sorbed in  his  chosen  task,  and  tried  his  hand  by  turn 
at  every  sort  of  theme.  Having  completed  an  excep- 
tionally faithful  and  lifelike  head  of  a horse,  his 
mother,  who  had  thus  far  regarded  the  boy’s  efforts 
mainly  in  the  light  of  juvenile  diversion,  became  so 
impressed  by  his  ability  that  she  was  moved  to  take 
the  work  to  Milan,  where  she  submitted  it  to  the 
inspection  of  the  sculptor  Grandi.  With  the  ready 
discernment  of  a practised  executant,  Grandi  at  once 
pronounced  the  bit  of  wax  a production  of  youthful 

[4] 


Project  for  a monument  of  Dante 


The  Grand  Duchess  Serge 


genius,  and  urged  the  lad’s  mother  to  allow  him  to 
pursue  the  vocation  of  an  artist. 

Though  from  the  outset  she  had  sympathized  with 
his  tastes  and  encouraged  his  efforts,  the  cjuestion  of 
his  embracing  art  as  a profession  was  quite  a different 
matter  and  one  upon  which  the  boy’s  father,  moreover, 
held  decided  views.  His  eldest  son  and  namesake, 
Pierre,  having  already  been  granted  permission  to  de- 
vote himself  to  painting,  it  was  the  prince’s  wish  that 
the  second  should  adopt  a military  career,  and  with  this 
end  in  mind  sent  him  at  seventeen  to  his  relatives 
in  Russia,  with  the  hope  that  a change  of  scene  would 
lessen  his  growing  enthusiasm  for  artistic  pursuits. 
As  might,  how'Cver,  have  been  expected  in  a youth 
possessed  of  such  pronounced  talent  and  individuality, 
the  reverse  proved  to  be  the  case,  and  after  a limited 
sojourn  he  was  somewhat  reluctantly  allow-ed  to  re- 
turn to  Italy  and  begin  his  studies  at  Alilan.  His 
interest  at  this  period  was  e(|ually  divided  between 
color  and  form,  and  for  a while  he  took  lessons  of 
the  ])ainter  Ranzoni.  Yet  not  wishing  to  follow  too 
closely  in  the  footsteps  of  his  brother,  who  \vas 
shortlv  to  establish  himselt  in  Ifngland  and  later  in 
America,  he  finally  decided  to  ado])t  sculpture  as  his 
definite  esthetic  medium. 

That  which  may  1)C  called  the  formal  artistic  a])- 


prenticeship  of  Paul  Troubetzkoy  was  a brief  though 
typical  episode.  He  started  as  a pupil  of  Barcaglia, 
but,  being  essentially  restless  and  independent  of  tem- 
perament, left  after  a few  days  and  joined  the  classes 
of  Ernesto  Bazzaro  at  the  Brera.  It  was  the  same 
story  again,  for  at  the  end  of  two  months’  repellent 
routine  he  turned  his  back  squarely  upon  conven- 
tional instruction  and,  taking  a studio  by  himself,  set 
to  work  entirely  upon  his  own  account.  The  simple 
fact  of  the  case  is  that  the  young  man  already  had 
definite  ideas  on  sculpture  as  well  as  on  many  other 
points.  From  infancy  almost  he  had  been  training  his 
innately  remarkable  powers  of  observation  and  hand- 
ling and  had  evolved  a highly  personal  mode  of  ex- 
pression. His  free,  outdoor  nature  rebelled  against 
the  restricted  atmosphere  of  the  atelier.  The  sub- 
jects given,  moreover,  did  not  enlist  his  interest  in 
the  least  degree,  as  he  much  preferred  the  lithe  grace 
of  hound  or  horse  to  the  sterile  immobility  of  the 
customary  plaster  cast.  Once  he  realized  the  empty 
and  soulless  character  of  academic  tradition,  he  did 
not  hesitate,  and  thenceforth  chose  only  such  themes 
as  aroused  his  keenest  artistic  enthusiasm,  and  strove 
to  interpret  them  after  his  own  vivid  fashion. 

His  first  important  appearance  was  in  1886,  at  the 
Palazzo  di  Brera,  when  he  exhibited  the  figure  of  a 

C83 


The  Grand  Duke  Andre  Vladiniirovicli 


Prince  Leon  Galitzin 


horse,  which,  despite  its  freedom  of  execution,  was 
well  received.  Encouraged  by  this  success,  he  was 
even  more  cordially  welcomed  the  following  spring- 
in  Venice.  It  is  true  that  his  broad,  impressionistic 
style  aroused  a certain  amount  of  opposition  among 
official  circles,  yet  from  the  very  beginning  it  also 
found  warm  partizans.  Though  he  meanwhile  sent 
work  to  the  various  current  Italian  exhibitions,  it 
was  not  until  1894,  when  his  “Indian  Scout”  was 
seen  in  Rome,  that  he  achieved  what  may  be  called 
substantial  public  recognition.  Awarded  the  gold 
medal,  and  later  purchased  for  the  Gallery  of  Modern 
Art  in  the  Italian  capital,  the  group  for  numerous 
reasons  marks  an  epoch  in  the  development  of  Prince 
Troubetzkoy's  art.  Following  his  invariable  custom, 
both  rider  and  horse  were  modeled  direct  from  life,  the 
originals  having  been  discovered  in  the  picturesque 
ranks  of  Buffalo  Bill's  Show,  which  had  visited  iMilan 
the  previous  season.  In  nothing  that  he  had  hitherto 
undertaken  did  the  sculptor  more  emphatically  evince 
his  contempt  for  convention  and  his  al)ility  to  cope 
with  an  entirely  novel  sul)ject.  .\s  may  he  inferred, 
his  range  during  those  eager,  ac([uisitive  years  was 
uncommonly  wide.  Having  con(|uered  his  position  as 
an  inter])reter  of  animal  form,  he  next  turned  his 
energies  to  portraiture,  the  Inist  of  Signor  F.  Came- 


roni  being  one  of  the  earliest  in  date  as  well  as 
the  most  vigorously  conceived  of  a long  series  of 
similar  works.  Themes  which  enlisted  equal  interest 
were  the  endearing  intimacy  of  domestic  life  and  the 
aristocratic  charm  of  young  womanhood,  and  in  both 
of  these  fields  he  was  quick  to  reveal  qualities  which 
won  for  him  the  increasing  consideration  of  press 
and  public.  As  an  example  of  that  innate  distinction 
of  style  which  has  since  become  so  instinctively  asso- 
ciated with  his  name,  reference  must  here  be  made 
to  the  seated  figure  of  Mme.  Hoerneimer,  the  origi- 
nal version  of  which  bears  the  date  of  1893,  and 
which  already  reveals  him  in  complete  possession  of 
his  power  of  gracious,  spirited  presentation.  And, 
furthermore,  nothing  could  give  a better  idea  of  the 
young  man’s  astonishing  versatility  than  a realization 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  capable  of  modeling  in  the 
same  year  two  such  radically  opposite  works  as  the 
austere  ‘Tndian  Scout”  and  the  exquisitely  instanta- 
neous “Mme.  Hoerneimer.” 

The  almost  equally  attractive  full-length  of  Si- 
gnorina  Erba,  shown  at  Venice  in  1895,  was  followed 
by  two  works  in  bronze,  one  a head  and  the  other  a 
female  figure,  which  were  seen  at  the  Esposizione  di 
Belle  Arti  at  Elorence  in  1896.  In  common  with 
other  members  of  tlie  younger  Italian  school.  Prince 


Tolstoy  on  horseback  (1899) 


Tolstoy  on  horseback  (loio) 


Troubetzkoy  was  not  slow  to  appreciate  the  progress- 
ive policy  of  the  Venice  International  Exhibitions, 
and  has  from  the  beginning  been  regularly  repre- 
sented at  these  admirable  Idennial  displays,  which 
easily  rank  as  the  best  in  Europe.  Although  thus  fat- 
classed  as  an  Italian,  and  specihcally  a Lombard 
sculptor,  Panl  Tronl)etzkoy  could  not  lay  claim  to  a 
single  drop  of  Latin  blood,  and  as  his  powers  ma- 
tured he  felt  more  and  more  strongly  the  call  of  his 
dual  racial  heritage.  Ever  restless  and  desirous  of 
change,  he  first  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  America, 
the  home  of  his  mother’s  family;  but,  at  the  instance 
of  relatives  in  Moscow,  eventually  settled  in  that 
typically  Russian  city  in  the  spring  of  1897.  The 
move  proved  an  auspicious  one,  and  his  success  was 
almost  immediate,  his  initial  commission  being  for  a 
full-length  figure  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Elisabeth 
Eeodorovna,  wife  of  the  Grand  Duke  Serge  Alexan- 
drovich, Governor-General  of  Moscow,  and  his  next 
being-  a bust  of  Count  Tolstoy,  of  whom  he  later 
made  several  searching  and  powerful  ])ortraits.  ITis 
meeting  with  1b)lstny  ])roved  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary moment,  for  though  the  younger  man  had 
never  read  a line  of  the  great,  troubled  humanita- 
rian’s writings,  they  (piickly  became  friends,  already 
sbaring  many  ideas  and  sym])athies  in  common.  The 


first  summer  the  sculptor  passed  in  Russia  he  spent 
several  days  at  Yasnaya  Polyana,  and  at  many  sub- 
sequent intervals  has  visited  the  count,  modeling  his 
rugged,  thought-seamed  countenance  and  being  his 
close  companion  in  long  rides  about  the  country,  or 
indulging  in  earnest  discussion  on  various  topics, 
social,  esthetic,  and  dietetic.  On  one  occasion  the 
count  presented  the  sculptor  with  an  autograph  copy 
of  one  of  his  books,  only  to  discover  later  that  it 
had  remained  unopened  for  several  months.  Yet 
instead  of  taking  offense,  as  would  have  been  the  case 
with  the  average  small-minded  author,  Tolstoy  ac- 
cepted the  situation  with  wholesome  humor,  remark- 
ing trenchantly:  ‘'Good;  if  you  never  read,  then  you 
are  sure  to  remain  original ; you  do  not  run  the  risk 
of  having  your  ideas  spoiled  by  the  ideas  and  opinions 
of  others.” 

The  reception  accorded  the  first  work  which  he 
executed  on  his  arrival  in  Russia  shortly  led  to  Prince 
Troubetzkoy’s  appointment  as  professor  of  sculpture 
at  the  Imperial  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts  in  Mos- 
cow, a position  which  he  proceeded  to  fill  in  a manner 
as  characteristic  as  it  was  unique.  He  is  particularly 
fond  of  relating  the  episode  in  detail,  as  it  is  typical 
of  his  attitude  toward  art  and  artistic  instruction  in 
general,  and  nothing  could  convey  a more  adequate 


Photograph  of  Tolstoy  and  Troubetzkoy  on  horseback 


r.ust  of  Tolstoy  (plaster) 


impression  of  the  ineident  than  his  own  vivid  phrase- 
ology. “Urged  to  l)ecome  professor  of  sculpture  in 
the  Moscow  Academy,  I at  hrst  declined  the  honor. 
AAdiile  I thanked  the  director  and  faculty  for  having 
thought  of  me  in  this  connection,  I explained  to  them 
that,  never  having  consented  to  have  a teacher  for 
myself,  I could  not  dream  of  teaching  others.  I was 
working  at  the  time  on  a bnst  of  Tolstoy,  and  the 
master,  to  whom  I confided  my  decision,  gave  his 
hearty  approval,  for  he  was  the  arch-enemy  of  every- 
thing that  might  tend  to  fetter  the  development  of 
personality.  Yet,  after  mature  consideration  of  the 
proposal,  I ended  in  accepting.  Tolstoy  was  naturally 
astonished  at  my  unexpected  move,  but  when  I told 
him  my  reasons,  he  concluded  that,  after  all,  I was 
perhaps  right.  As  a matter  of  fact,  by  occupying  the 
]^)Osition  myself,  I foresaw  that  I could  effectually 
prevent  some  other  professor  from  exercising  his 
influence  upon  the  pupils  to  the  detriment  of  their 
natural  gifts  and  instinctive  freedom  from  conven- 
tion. T then  went  to  the  school  and  found  there  a 
large  room  so  filled  with  casts  from  the  antique  that 
the  pu])ils  had  only  the  narrowest  sort  of  space  in 
which  to  work.  TMiat  are  you  doing  with  all  this 
trash?'  I exclaimed.  Tnstead  of  going  direct  to  na- 
ture as  you  should,  you  are  sim])ly  wasting  your  time 


copying  other  people’s  copies  of  nature.  Great  as  the 
ancients  may  have  been,  they  will  never  furnish  you 
with  the  inexhaustible  resources  offered  by  nature  in 
her  infinite  beauty  and  diversity.  And,  moreover, 
if  these  illustrious  artists  have  left  immortal  mas- 
terpieces, it  is  merely  because  in  their  day  they  did 
nothing  but  faithfully  interpret  the  material  furnished 
them  by  life.’  I at  once  ordered  them  to  rid  the 
atelier  of  the  useless  stuff  and  substitute  in  its  place 
living  models  only.  The  students  thus  had  room  in 
which  to  breathe  and  work,  and  I did  not  bother 
myself  about  them  any  more.  The  outcome  was  very 
simple.  When  I came  to  the  school  there  were  some 
sixty  pupils.  At  the  close  of  the  first  term  there  re- 
mained only  three.  All  that  were  not  able  to  develop 
of  themselves  by  reason  of  innate  talent  had  left, 
and  I verily  believe  that  in  the  end  there  remained 
but  one.  Well,  do  you  not  think  it  was  better  so? 
As  for  me,  I am  convinced  that  a single  true  artist  is 
worth  more  than  any  quantity  of  mediocrities.” 
While  his  success  as  a preceptor  was  somewhat 
equivocal,  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  Prince  Trou- 
betzkoy’s  own  work  during  his  residence  in  Moscow. 
He  continued  as  productive  as  he  had  formerly  been 
at  Milan,  and  in  1899  was  represented  at  the  Venice 
Exhibition  by  four  notable  subjects,  among  them 


P>ust  of  Tolstoy  (bronze) 


The  two  sons  of  the  Prince  Serge  Troubetzkoy 


being  the  original  bust  of  Tolstoy  with  folded  arms 
and  abstracted  gaze,  and  the  “Sledge  in  the  Snow,” 
a welcome  pendant  to  his  earlier  “Fiacre  in  the 
Snow,”  which  had  been  executed  before  his  depar- 
ture for  Russia.  Flattering  as  had  been  his  reception 
at  Venice,  it  was  nevertheless  far  eclipsed  by  the  rec- 
ognition accorded  his  art  the  following  year  on  the 
occasion  of  the  Fxposition  Universelle  of  1900. 
Represented  in  both  the  Italian  and  the  Russian  sec- 
tions, Prince  Tronbetzkoy’s  triumph  at  Paris  was 
second  to  that  of  no  other  single  individual.  In  the 
former  groiij)  he  easily  held  his  own  beside  his 
colleagues  Trentacoste  and  Romanelli,  and  though 
in  the  Russian  section  his  work  was  exhibited  along 
with  that  of  snch  acknowledged  masters  as  Anto- 
kolsky, Ginsbnrg,  and  Bernstamm,  it  was  he  who 
carried  off  the  Grand  Prix.  The  eloquent  bust  of  the 
lately  deceased  painter  Giovanni  Segantini  was  the 
most  important  of  his  three  contributions  to  the  art 
of  the  conntry  of  his  hirth.  Prominent  among  the 
sixteen  numbers  which  collectively  won  for  him  the 
highest  honors  in  the  Russian  section  may  he  noted 
a “1V)lstoy  on  Horseback,”  the  massive  seated  form 
of  Prince  Galitzin,  and  certain  delightful  studies  in 
animal  life  and  domestic  genre.  It  was  a signal  suc- 
cess for  a hitlicrto  almost  unknown  young  man  in  his 


early  thirties,  and  in  addition  to  his  official  award  he 
was  further  honored  by  the  State’s  purchase  of  the 
Tolstoy  for  the  Luxembourg,  which  gallery  has  since 
added  other  works  by  him  to  its  unrivaled  display  of 
contemporary  sculpture.  He  had  become  at  a single 
bound  a figure  of  international  importance  in  the  art 
world,  and  it  was  no  little  satisfaction  to  realize  that 
the  period  of  probation  was  at  last  definitely  passed. 

Sincere,  industrious,  and  undisturbed  by  his  rapidly 
increasing  vogue,  Paul  Troubetzkoy  next  set  ear- 
nestly to  work  on  his  model  for  the  heroic  ecjuestrian 
statue  of  Alexander  III,  and  in  1901,  after  overcom- 
ing the  most  formidable  obstacles,  found  himself  the 
winner  of  a competition  which  had  been  declared 
open  to  the  world.  A characteristic  incident  occurred 
in  connection  with  the  presentation  of  his  sketch  to 
the  committee.  He  had  labored  for  many  anxious 
weeks  coni]:)leting  the  model,  but  just  as  he  was  add- 
ing a few  final  touches  the  figure  was  accidentally 
knocked  from  its  base  and  fell  into  fragments  on  his 
studio  floor.  The  artist  was  for  a moment  on  the 
point  of  giving  up  all  thought  of  entering  the  lists, 
but  an  instant  later  his  incomparable  energy  of  spirit 
reasserted  itself,  and,  clearing  away  the  debris  of  his 
former  effort,  he  began  a new  model  which  he  fin- 
ished l)y  morning  and  took  to  St.  Petersl)urg  himself 


Count  Witte 


Feodor  Chaliapin 


the  same  day.  Yet  even  then  his  trials  were  not  over, 
for  after  he  had  been  decisively  declared  the  winner, 
he  was  obliged  to  defend  and  explain  the  impression- 
istic quality  of  his  technic|ne  to  officials  whose  inher- 
ent timidity  of  soul  led  them  to  mistrust  anything 
save  the  smoothest  and  most  matter-of-fact  concep- 
tion of  a given  subject.  In  an  immense  stndio  espe- 
cially constructed  for  the  purpose  in  St.  Petersburg 
he  at  last,  however,  started  work  upon  the  full-sized 
version  of  the  group,  having  previously  spent  months 
in  studying  the  ])hysical  appearance  and  character  of 
the  late  emperor  and  in  industriously  searching  the 
imperial  stables  for  a suitable  charger.  The  statue, 
which  was  cast  and  set  in  place  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  the  artist,  was  formally  dedicated  witli 
the  most  impressive  military  and  religions  ceremonies 
on  June  5,  1909,  and  may  to-day  be  seen  in  an  im- 
])osing  position  in  the  Place  Znamicnskaia  near  the 
Xikolai  Station,  at  the  end  of  the  Nevsky  I^'ospekt. 
It  sliows  the  great  T>il)erator  Tsar  in  the  act  of  re- 
viewing his  troops,  and  is  remarkalile  alike  for  its 
masterly  verity  and  superb  plastic  dignity. 

It  might  readily  he  assumed  tliat  the  successful 
com])]etion  of  a work  of  such  im])ortance  and  mag- 
nitude would  have  gained  for  Paul  1h-oubetzkoy 
further  commissions  of  the  sort,  yet  this  unfortu- 


nately  did  not  prove  to  be  the  case.  Despite  the  strik- 
ingly effective  model  which  he  executed  for  the  pro- 
posed monument  to  Alexander  II,  he  was  prevented 
by  official  ossification  and  professional  intrigue  from 
receiving  the  final  award,  and  was  thus  obliged  to 
turn  his  hand  to  less  ambitious  projects.  He  had 
already  encountered  a like  experience  earlier  in  his 
career  regarding  similar  undertakings,  among  them 
the  proposed  Dante  monument  for  the  city  of  Trent, 
which  had  been  given  to  a vastly  inferior  colleague, 
and  he  was  simply  paying  the  usual  penalty  for  orig- 
inality of  conception  and  scorn  of  approved  conven- 
tion. If,  however,  he  was  temporarily  prevented 
from  concentrating  his  energy  upon  a single  object, 
his  art,  in  compensation,  gained  immensely  in  range 
and  variety.  Always  faithful  to  the  land  of  his  birth, 
and  sure  of  a distinguished  welcome  at  Venice  in 
particular,  he  continued  sending  his  best  work  to  the 
current  exhibitions  in  the  now  famous  Palazzo  dell’ 
Esposizione,  screened  amid  the  verdant  and  wave- 
washed  Public  Gardens.  He  had  by  this  time  resided 
several  years  in  Russia,  and  not  being  altogether 
satisfied  with  artistic  conditions  either  in  St.  Peters- 
burg or  Moscow,  finally  decided  upon  another  change 
of  location.  Though  Italy  offered  many  inducements, 
it  was  to  Paris,  where  he  had  many  friends,  and 

[28] 


Anatole  iMance 


Helleu 


where  his  reception  had  already  been  so  enthusiastic, 
that  he  next  directed  his  footsteps.  Devoted  to  his 
nnmerons  pets,  which  from  time  to  time  have  included 
tame  bears,  wolves,  sheep,  and  nnmerons  dogs  of 
various  breed,  he  chose  a pictnrescpie  little  house  with 
roomy,  well-lit  studio  and  charming-  garden,  situated 
at  the  end  of  a quiet  street  not  far  from  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne. 

Enjoying  continued  success,  and  living  in  an  at- 
mosphere thoroughly  congenial  with  his  tastes,  it  is 
here  that  Prince  Tronbetzkoy  has  passed  the  last  half- 
dozen  years.  The  bears  he  was  obliged  to  leave 
behind  him  in  Russia,  but  his  two  wolves,  the  nobly 
formed  VTsca  and  the  younger  and  more  nbiqnitons 
Marguerite,  are  among  his  constant  companions.  He 
loves  his  garden  with  its  spreading  trees,  where  one 
seems  so  far  removed  from  the  vibration  of  the  great, 
throl)bing  city  which  threatens  to  envelop  him  on  all 
sides,  and  it  is  there  where  he  takes  his  meals,  the 
weather  ])ermitting,  and  so  hospital)ly  receives  his 
nnmerons  friends.  His  life  is  one  of  austere  sim- 
plicity and  unremitting  devotion  to  his  work.  He  is 
utterly  devoid  of  ])retense  or  worldly  sophistication 
of  any  sort,  and  yon  will  meet  on  even  terms  in  his 
atelier  or  strolling  about  the  s])acions  grounds  an 
aristocrat  of  the  utmost  mundane  elegance  such  as 


Comte  Robert  de  Montesqiiiou-Fezensac,  or  a rugged 
'‘Homme-Nature,”  or  natural  man,  of  the  type  of  the 
now  famous  Meva,  with  shaggy  hair  and  beard, 
coarse  linen  robe,  and  bare  feet  encased  in  sandals. 
Fond  of  drawing  and  painting  as  well  as  sculpture, 
Prince  Troubetzkoy  devotes  not  a little  of  his  time  to 
the  former,  having  lately  executed  in  oils  a delightful 
portrait  of  his  wife,  and  various  crayon  sketches 
of  distinct  merit.  Possessing  radically  independent 
views  on  all  topics,  it  is  inevitable  that  he  should  care 
little  for  the  customary  distinctions  which  have  fallen 
to  him  in  both  branches  of  his  art,  for  as  a portrait- 
painter,  too,  he  has  exhibited  in  public  on  numerous 
occasions  and  is  represented  in  more  than  one  collec- 
tion. Though  wholly  oblivious  of  such  matters  him- 
self, it  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention,  in  the  interests 
of  biographical  accuracy  and  completeness,  that  he 
has  been  a Chevalier  de  la  Legion  d’honneur  since 
1900,  that  he  has  won  gold  medals  in  Rome,  Dres- 
den, Berlin,  and  elsewhere,  and  figures  in  the  perma- 
nent galleries  of  such  cities  as  Rome,  Venice,  Leipzig, 
Berlin,  Milan,  Dresden,  Moscow,  St.  Petersburg, 
Paris,  and  San  Francisco.  He  is  furthermore  a 
member  of  the  Societe  Nationale  des  Beaux- Arts,  the 
Societe  Nouvelle,  and  the  Societe  du  Salon  d’Au- 
tomne  in  Paris,  the  Dresden  and  Munich  Secession 


r.aron  Tlenri  de  Rothschild 


M.  Kramer  on  horseback 


Societies,  and  the  International  Society  of  Sculptors, 
Painters,  and  Gravers  of  London.  He  nevertheless 
resolutely  refuses  to  wear  any  of  the  insignia  of  offi- 
cial approbation  about  his  person,  and  seldom  uses 
his  own  family  title,  preferring  to  remain  on  terms 
of  absolute  equality  with  those  with  whom  he  finds 
himself  in  contact. 

It  is  impossible  to  approach  the  latest  phase  of 
Prince  Tronbetzkoy’s  art  without  some  knowledge  of 
those  specific  mental  characteristics  which  obviously 
enter  so  largely  into  his  life  and  work.  Impulsive 
and  utopian  by  nature,  he  is  astir  with  theories  social 
and  fraternal.  A confirmed  vegetarian,  he  abhors 
the  idea  of  slaughter  in  any  form,  and  was  unques- 
tionably judicious  in  resisting  his  father’s  desire  to 
make  a soldier  of  him.  Whole-souled  and  devoid  of 
equivocation,  he  carries  his  practice  to  the  point  of 
actually  denying  himself  milk,  butter,  or  eggs,  and 
is  more  pleased  at  adding  converts  to  his  cherished 
cause  than  eliciting  admiration  for  his  sculpture  or 
painting.  His  grounds  for  total  abstinence  from  all 
animal  food  are  philosophical  as  well  as  hygienic, 
and  in  this  they  reseml)le  the  stand  taken  on  the  same 
r|iiestion  by  such  men  as  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  Newton, 
Llisee  Reclns,  and  Tolstoy.  His  art  is  in  a measure 
the  reflex  of  his  views,  for  that  which  animates  its 


every  expression  is  a profound  and  tender  love  of  life 
in  all  its  manifestations.  Fortunately,  however,  he  is 
first  an  artist  and  only  secondarily  a theorist,  and  his 
work  has  thus  far  seldom  suffered  from  that  mixture 
of  motive,  or,  what  is  equally  important,  that  lack  of 
creative  unity  and  inspiration  without  which  it  would 
of  necessity  lose  all  esthetic  significance.  While  there 
are,  despite  his  convincing  physical  appearance  and 
fervid  eloquence,  those  who  may  still  differ  from  him 
on  the  question  of  corporeal  sustenance,  few  will 
combat  his  assertion  that  ''only  those  should  devote 
themselves  to  art  for  whom  production  is  an  irresis- 
tible necessity,  a veritable  emanation  from  the  entire 
being  as  it  labors  in  pride  and  in  joy.” 

Great  as  was  his  success  at  the  Paris  Exposition 
of  1900,  it  was  doubly  confirmed  by  his  appearance 
at  the  Autumn  Salon  of  1904,  where  he  had  a special 
room  to  himself  and  enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  divid- 
ing attention  with  such  modern  masters  as  Puvis  de 
Chavannes,  Auguste  Renoir,  Cezanne,  and  Toulouse- 
Lautrec.  The  public  had  meanwhile  become  more 
accustomed  to  his  individuality  of  style  and  freshness 
of  vision  through  important  displays  of  his  work  at 
the  Galerie  Hebrard  in  Paris,  at  Schulte’s  and  at 
the  Klinstlerhaus  in  Berlin,  at  Messrs.  Obach’s  and 
the  New  Gallery  in  London,  and  elsewhere,  and 

css: 


Auguste  Rodin 


Sorolla 


his  position  was  by  this  period  one  of  command- 
ing distinction  in  the  field  of  contemporary  artistic 
endeavor.  It  was  in  1907,  some  time  after  he  had  so 
congenially  established  himself  in  the  me  Weber, 
that  Paul  Tronbetzkoy  made  his  reappearance  at  the 
Paris  Salon.  Exhibiting  with  the  Societe  Nationale, 
he  was  on  this  occasion  represented  by  four  subjects 
entitled  respectively  “Young  Woman  and  Dog,” 
“Girl  and  Dog,”  “Model  Standing,”  and  “Amazon.” 
He  did  not  exhibit  the  following  season,  but  in  1909 
his  portrait  of  la  Mar([iiise  Casa-Fnerte  and  portrait 
of  Baron  Henri  de  Rothschild  were  alike  notable  for 
their  facility  of  execution  and  vigor  of  observation. 
His  work  this  same  year  at  Venice  was  particularly 
conspicuous,  consisting  as  it  did  of  no  less  than  ten 
pieces  of  l)ronze  and  ])laster  grouped  in  an  imposing 
hemicycle  and  occupying  most  of  the  available  space 
in  Sala  36,  one  of  the  nnmerons  Sale  Internazionali. 
The  viwacions  bust  of  Miss  Hunter,  the  small  seated 
statuette  of  his  Excellency  M.  Nelidov,  the  Russian 
Ambassador  at  Paris,  and  the  bronze  figure  of  a man 
with  pointed  l)eard,  in  sack-suit,  standing  with  right 
foot  extended,  were  among  the  best  of  the  portraits. 
Of  ef|ual  charm  and  interest  were  the  bits  of  domestic 
genre  and  the  veracious  figures  of  two  dogs,  one 
aslee]),  the  other  also  in  a recumbent  position  and 


treated  in  long,  expressive  lines,  his  paws  and  slender, 
sensitive  nose  extended  directly  in  front  of  him.  Ar- 
ranged with  extreme  care  and  taste,  this  little  display 
constituted  a sort  of  modest  apotheosis  of  the  sculp- 
tor’s work,  and  proved  one  of  the  features  of  an 
unusually  comprehensive  exhibition  of  contemporary 
art.  In  order  to  complete  the  chronology  of  Prince 
Troubetzkoy’s  production  it  only  remains  to  recall 
his  appearance  at  the  World’s  Columbian  Exhibition 
at  Chicago  in  1893,  where  he  was  represented  by  his 
sketches  for  the  Dante  and  Garibaldi  monuments,  by 
two  versions  of  his  '‘Indian  Scout,”  and  five  addi- 
tional pieces,  some  of  which  were  later  purchased  for 
the  Golden  Gate  Art  Museum  of  San  Francisco. 

As  may  readily  be  inferred,  the  recent  work  of 
Paul  Troubetzkoy  is  essentially  international  in  char- 
acter. Just  as  in  Russia,  and  previously  in  Milan, 
his  Paris  studio  has  been  the  meeting-place  of  the 
most  distinguished  social,  diplomatic,  intellectual,  and 
artistic  personalities  of  the  day.  Among  sitters  from 
his  paternal  land  have  been  the  Princesses  Gagarin, 
Tenicheff,  and  Bariatinsky,  the  Grand  Duke  Andre 
Vladimirovich  and  the  Grand  Duke  Paul,  Prince 
Meschersky,  Count  Witte,  and  the  famous  dramatic 
basso  Chaliapin,  who  has  lately  been  the  sensation  of 
the  Russian  opera  season  in  Paris.  Prominent  among 


Signor  r.iiilio  vSavarcse  (front) 


Signor  Giulio  Savarese  (side) 


his  French  subjects  may  l)e  instanced  Mine.  Favier, 
Mine.  Decori,  Mile.  Besnard,  daughter  of  the  artist 
Panl-Albert  Besnard,  Baron  Flenri  de  Rothschild, 
M.  Joseph  Reinach,  M.  Arinand  Dayot,  the  French 
Inspecteur-General  des  Beaiix-Arts,  Anatole  France, 
AF  Gil,  and  the  celebrated  surgeon  Doctor  Pozzi,  of 
whom  years  ago  Sargent  executed  a masterly  though 
little  known  full-length  likeness  now  in  the  physi- 
cian’s hotel  in  the  Avenue  d’lena.  Reference  has 
previously  been  made  to  the  bust  of  the  Italian-Swiss 
painter  Giovanni  Segantini,  which  to-day  occupies  a 
fitting  place  in  the  National  Gallery  of  lierlin,  and  in 
this  connection  it  is  not  inappropriate  to  cite  the 
seated  statue  of  another  figure  of  jirominence  in  the 
field  of  contemporary  art  — Senor  Joaquin  Sorolla  y 
Bastida  — for  whose  work  and  personality  the  sculp- 
tor professes  the  highest  admiration. 

Considering  his  position  and  re])iitation  in  Paris, 
it  would  have  been  singular  had  the  art  of  Prince 
Tronbetzkoy  remained  unknown  to  those  Americans 
who  habitually  frequent  the  French  capital,  and  it  is 
thus  a pleasure  to  note  that  among  those  from  this 
side  of  the  water  who  have  already  sat  to  him  for 
their  portraits  are  Airs.  A^anderbilt  and  her  daugh- 
ters, AFr.  Ah  K.  A^anderbilt,  and  Airs.  1 tarry  Ibayne 
Adn’tney.  Fn  addition  to  these  he  had  ])revionsly 

C433 


found  in  his  own  family  two  American  women  who 
naturally  proved  sympathetic  subjects — his  mother, 
of  whom  he  has  executed  a delicate  and  penetrating 
seated  likeness,  and  his  sister-in-law.  Princess  Amelie 
Troubetzkoy,  nee  Rives,  wife  of  the  portrait-painter, 
who  has  for  the  last  few  years  made  his  home  in 
New  York. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  overestimate  the  importance 
of  the  current  exhibition  of  Prince  Troubetzkoy ’s  art 
by  the  American  Numismatic  Society.  He  has  brought 
with  him  to  the  United  States  the  largest  collective 
display  of  his  work  ever  assembled.  Every  phase 
of  his  supple,  effective  handling  and  every  period 
of  his  ceaseless  creative  activity  are  adequately  rep- 
resented in  these  vivid  bits  of  bronze  or  plas- 
ter which  are  here  shown  to  such  conspicuous  ad- 
vantage. The  Continental  reputation  of  the  sculp- 
tor is  to-day  a matter  of  general  knowledge.  The 
final  versions  or  duplicates  of  many  of  the  busts 
and  statues  here  seen  have  already  found  place  in 
the  leading  museums  and  private  galleries  of  Eu- 
rope, and  it  only  remains  for  America  to  appreci- 
ate a talent  which  reveals  obvious  points  of  contact 
with  native  taste  and  temperament.  This  art  in  its 
every  manifestation  is  essentially  refined,  eclectic, 
and  cosmo])olitan.  In  its  modernity  of  theme  and 


Tlic  painter  Giovanni  Scgantini 

1895 


Signor  Torelli- Viollier  (front) 


treatment,  its  energy  yet  delicacy  of  expression,  and 
al)ove  all  in  that  (jiiality  of  nervous  sensibility  which 
it  possesses  in  such  a high  degree,  it  can  scarcely  fail 
to  enlist  the  esthetic  sympathies  of  onr  cultured  pub- 
lic. ' In  visiting  these  shores  Prince  Tronhetzkoy  is 
fnlhlling  a long-deferred  hope.  On  more  than  one 
occasion  he  was  on  the  point  of  coming-,  hut  has  each 
time  been  prevented  l)y  the  press  of  circumstance 
or  an  imperative  call  in  some  other  direction.  Al- 
though years  ago  he  won  his  hrst  public  recognition 
with  a distinctively  American  subject  — that  of  the 
“Indian  Scout"  — it  is  more  than  likely  that  he  will 
this  time  conhne  his  attention  to  a somewhat  different 
segment  of  onr  society.  In  any  event  he  will  he  cer- 
tain to  add  an  absorbing  and  characteristic  chapter  to 
his  art,  for  thus  far,  at  least,  he  has  never  failed  to 
reflect  his  surroundings  with  a Aovacions  charm  and 
verity  which  have  frankly  no  parallel  in  the  field  of 
contemporary  sculpture. 


II 


CRITICAL 

SUPERFICIALLY  it  requires  no  special  effort 
on  tlie  part  of  the  casual  spectator  to  appreciate 
the  art  of  Paul  Tronl)etzkoy.  Its  appeal  is  immediate, 
instantaneous.  In  choice  of  theme  and  subject-matter 
it  is  marked  by  a refreshing  absence  of  pretence  and 
artificiality.  It  involves  no  feat  of  the  imagination 
and  exacts  no  knowledge  of  classic  myth  or  of  those 
traditions,  scholastic  or  literary,  which  have  so  long 
obscured  the  true  meaning  of  plastic  form.  Devoid 
alike  of  symbol  and  allegory,  its  message  is  wholly 
specific  and  explicit.  There  is  nothing  in  the  entire 
range  of  this  art  which  is  not  familiar  to  any  one,  no 
matter  how  prescribed  his  experience  or  outlook  may 
l3e.  It  is,  however,  through  the  achievement  of  just 
this  naturalness  and  spontaneity  that  the  work  of 
Prince  Troubetzkoy  differentiates  itself  so  sharply 
from  that  of  the  majority  of  his  contemporaries.  The 
])Osition  which  he  occupies  is  a unique  one,  yet  it  must 
not  l)e  assumed  that  it  came  to  him  without  the  favor- 

C48n 


Sip;nnr  Torelli-\"iollier  (side) 


Monsieur  Zadoks 


ing  touch  of  circumstance  as  well  as  through  his 
inherent  imlepeudeuce  of  vision  and  statement.  Al- 
though his  ])ersoual  taste  and  style  matured  early  in 
his  career  and  with  astonishing  surety,  the  influences 
which  led  to  their  ])erfection  lay  by  no  means  on  the 
surface.  The  initial  factors  in  his  artistic  develop- 
ment were  of  course  those  of  l)irth  and  parentage, 
and  it  is  impossible  not  to  divine  in  this  varied  and 
expressive  production  certain  elements,  Slavonic  and 
American,  which  were  his  by  right  of  direct  inheri- 
tance. Fundamentally  realistic  both  in  his  literature 
and  in  his  art,  and  permeated  at  the  same  time  by  a 
deep  and  tender  fraternalisin,  an  abiding  love  of  man 
and  beast,  the  typical  Russian  displays  but  scant  en- 
thusiasm for  mere  esthetic  subtleties.  That  which 
above  all  characterizes  the  Slavonic  temperament  is 
its  close  relation  to  the  texture  of  cpiotidian  existence. 
The  Russian  everywhere  reveals  his  power  of  direct, 
unclouded  ol)servation,  his  ability  to  gras])  the  vital 
aspects  of  a given  scene  or  situation  and  to  achieve  in 
their  interpretation  a vigorous  measure  of  actuality. 
ITis  art  is  essentially  a concrete  rather  than  an  ab- 
stract expression.  While  it  is  true  that  it  often 
acc[uires  under  stress  of  creative  feeling  a beauty 
of  form  and  an  emotional  fervor  which  lift  it  far 
above  the  world  of  mere  fact,  vet  none  the  less  its 


basis  is  habitually  found  in  the  humblest,  most  unpre- 
tentious material. 

Descended  from  a distinguished  and  aristocratic 
family,  it  is  but  natural  that  the  racial  characteristics 
of  his  countrymen  should  have  been  more  or  less 
sublimated  in  the  case  of  Paul  Troubetzkoy.  His 
vision  of  external  reality,  while  not  less  accurate,  is 
more  flexible  and  refined  than  is  customary  with 
those  native  spirits  who  do  not  happen  to  have  been 
born  in  precisely  the  same  sphere  or  to  have  pos- 
sessed corresponding  advantages.  His  outlook  has, 
furthermore,  been  to  a large  extent  Europeanized  by 
almost  constant  residence  abroad,  his  art  thus  acquir- 
ing a grace  and  polish  and  a scrupulous  regard  for 
form  which  may  be  favorably  compared  with  certain 
kindred  qualities  which  Ivan  Turgenev  displayed  in 
the  field  of  prose  fiction.  Yet  despite  such  traces  of 
foreign  influence  there  has  remained  in  the  endow- 
ment of  Paul  Troubetzkoy  much  that  is  unques- 
tionably Russian.  In  many  of  his  studies,  particu- 
larly of  animals,  the  note  may  readily  be  discerned 
of  the  ancient  patriarch  rich  in  cattle.  There  is  in 
this  phase  of  his  production  a broad  passivity  of  feel- 
ing and  an  innate  understanding  of  the  material  at 
hand  which  could  only  have  been  the  legacy  of  long 
familiarity  with  flocks,  herds,  and  domestic  pets  of 

rs2] 


Sketch  of  Sir  William  Eden 


Sir  William  Eden 


every  kind.  Yon  instinctively  realize  that  the  creator 
of  these  picturesque  and  veracious  single  figures  or 
groups  must  have  descended,  as  indeed  is  the  case, 
from  successive  generations  of  landed  proprietors 
who  loved  the  soil  and  were  on  intimate  terms  with 
those  numerous  creatures  of  steppe  and  forest  which 
are  so  constantly  in  the  thoughts  of  the  average  Mus- 
covite. It  is  in  these  and  similar  points,  minute  if 
you  will,  but  nevertheless  important,  that  Paul  Trou- 
betzkoy  shows  himself  the  true  son  of  a Russian 
father.  And  finally,  it  must  always  l)e  recalled,  is  the 
paternal  inllnence  manifest  in  the  faculty  of  giving- 
special  significance  to  the  aspects  of  every-day  life. 
Though  there  is  in  this  art  no  apparent  symbolism, 
yet,  as  the  young  sculptor  early  learned  to  prove, 
there  lurks  in  the  simplest  of  details,  when  treated 
with  sufficient  depth,  directness,  and  ])enetration,  a 
spontaneous  symbolism  which  is  far  more  potent,  be- 
cause less  obvious,  than  that  to  which  we  have  else- 
where been  accustomed. 

It  should  hardly  l)e  necessary  to  refer  to  those 
qualities  which  Paul  Trouhetzkoy  unden ial)ly  owes 
to  his  mother,  who,  though  not  artistic  in  a ])ractical 
way,  was  notably  fond  of  music,  and  was  in  addition 
a woman  of  exceptional  general  culture.  She  it  was 
who  clearly  helped  him  to  overcome  that  tendencv 

C55] 


toward  fatalism  and  that  intellectual  and  physical 
inertia  which  are  among  the  curses  of  a phenomenally 
gifted  race.  One  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the 
art  herewith  under  consideration  is  its  nervous  force 
and  vitality,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  this 
element  owes  its  existence  to  the  maternal  side  of  the 
sculptor’s  family.  While  there  are  various  old-world 
factors  in  the  work  of  Prince  Troubetzkoy,  its  spirit 
is  new  and  fresh,  and  its  outlook  full  of  novelty.  It 
would  perhaps  be  too  much  to  assert  that  it  possesses 
certain  specific  marks  of  Americanism,  for  thus  far 
American  sculpture  has  produced  nothing  so  alert  and 
untrammeled ; still  in  many  ways  it  reveals  a happy 
disregard  for  formula  and  a joyous  independence 
which  savor  of  a country  devoid  of  sterile  and  para- 
lyzing precedent.  Slavonic  on  the  one  hand  and 
American  on  the  other.  Prince  Troubetzkoy  was 
nevertheless  born  in  Italy,  and  it  is  toward  Italy  that 
one  must  turn  in  order  to  discover  those  early  influ- 
ences which  no  artist,  however  autogenous  his  dispo- 
sition, can  possibly  escape. 

While  it  is  true  that  his  professional  training  was 
of  the  slenderest  sort,  it  is  impossible  not  to  realize 
that  the  young  sculptor  owed  not  a little  to  the  cir- 
cumstances which  surrounded  his  initial  struggles 
toward  self-expression.  The  dominant  figure  in 


('i.  r»ernard  Shaw  (side) 
1908 


Mr.  W illiam  K.  Vanderbilt 


Lombard  art  during  the  period  of  Paul  Troubetzkoy’s 
apprenticeship  was  not  that  of  a sculptor,  but  that  of 
a painter,  Tranqnillo  Cremona,  who  was  born  in 
Pavia,  but  who  had  later  moved  to  Milan,  where  his 
sway  over  the  more  progressive  members  of  the  Lom- 
bard school  was  both  decisive  and  propitious.  Cre- 
mona in  his  earlier  days  had  given  himself  over  to  a 
species  of  eloquent  romanticism,  not  without  merit, 
but  which  cannot  be  compared  with  that  restless 
impressionism  which,  under  the  inspiration  of  Fon- 
tanesi,  he  subsequently  perfected  after  his  own  vigor- 
ous manner.  He  was  the  enemy  of  detail,  and  loathed 
everything  that  was  definite  and  precise.  It  was  the 
inner  content  of  things,  not  their  outer  shell,  which 
he  aimed  to  seize,  and  he  carried  his  work  only  far 
enough  to  convey  the  desired  meaning,  deliberately 
neglecting  that  finish  so  dear  to  industrious  and  mi- 
croscopic minds.  Against  a vague,  shadowy  back- 
ground he  would  silhouette  an  api)ealing  face  or  out- 
stretched arm,  and  would  not  hesitate  to  leave  the 
balance  of  his  composition  in  amorphous  nothingness. 
So  untrammeled  was  liis  handling,  and  so  liberal  his 
employment  of  pigment,  that  he  may  be  said  to  have 
actually  modeled  in  paint,  in  which  he  resemhles  the 
incomparable  Antonio  iMancini,  whose  art  closely 
encroaches  upon  the  confines  of  bas-relief. 


Displaying  so  highly  developed  a plastic  sense,  it 
was  natural  that  the  canvases  of  Cremona  should 
have  enlisted  the  interest  of  sculptors  as  well  as 
painters,  prominent  among  the  former  of  whom 
being  Ernesto  Bazzaro,  who  for  a brief  interval  was 
Paul  Troubetzkoy’s  preceptor.  Brother  of  the  well- 
known  landscape-painter  Leonardo  Bazzaro,  Ernesto 
owed  not  a little  of  his  flexibility  of  treatment  and 
scorn  of  useless  elaboration  to  the  example  of  Cre- 
mona. His  work,  notabl}^  in  the  bust  of  Garibaldi 
exhibited  in  Milan  in  1886 — the  year  of  his  former 
pupil’s  debut  — showed  a strength,  an  impetuosity, 
and  a haughty  disregard  for  finish  which  could 
scarcely  have  failed  to  impress  the  younger  man. 
Italian  art  of  that  period  was  divided  into  two  sharply 
defined  groups,  the  one,  headed  by  Domenico  Trenta- 
coste,  seeking  to  conserve  the  rounded  symmetry 
which  had  descended  from  classic  times;  the  other, 
which  claimed  the  sturdy  touch  of  Cifariello  and  the 
tender,  elevated  spirituality  of  Leonardo  Bistolfi, 
striving  to  establish  the  principle  of  plastic  freedom. 
It  was  to  the  mighty  though  almost  vaporous  figure 
of  '‘Day”  on  the  Medici  monument  in  the  Church  of 
S.  Lorenzo  at  Llorence  that  these  latter  men  turned  for 
their  chief  source  of  inspiration  , and  it  issafeto  say  that 
modern  sculpture  largely  owes  its  emancipation  from 

teo;] 


ATrs.  William  K.  Vanderbilt 


I'^lder  (laugliter  of  Mrs.  William  K.  Vanderbilt 


the  slavery  of  fixed  outline  to  this  single  unfinished 
fragment.  Not  only  have  the  contemporary  Italians, 
but  the  master  emotionalist  in  marble  of  France, 
Angnste  Rodin,  literally  sat  at  the  feet  of  this  colossal 
sketch,  and  it  would  l)e  useless  to  deny  that  its  infin- 
ence,  either  direct  or  indirect,  has  been  considera- 
])le  upon  the  artistic  personality  of  Paul  Tronbetzkoy 
as  well. 

Adthont  a vestige  of  classic  heritage,  and  entirely 
removed  from  that  pretentions  psendo-classicism 
which  had  been  imported  into  Russia  under  the 
regime  of  Peter  and  Catharine,  it  was  inevitable  that 
Paul  Tronbetzkoy  should  have  taken  kindly  to  those 
forces  which  were  molding  the  style  of  the  younger 
Milanese  scnl])tors  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
Granting  that  his  formal  training  was  practically  nil, 
lie  was  nevertheless  living  and  working  in  an  atmos- 
phere charged  with  graphic  liberty  and  independence. 
II is  abl)reviated  apprenticeship  brought  him  into 
direct  relation  with  a master  of  the  bo.z.'^ctto,  Ikizzaro, 
and,  while  he  did  not  relish  routine  instruction,  he 
could  hardly  have  failed  to  profit  l)y  the  example  of 
his  talented  professor.  It  was  however  the  fortu- 
nate concurrence  of  various  circumstances  which  en- 
dowed the  young  man  with  those  c|ualities  which 
were  soon  to  render  his  work  so  distinctive,  and  not 

C633 


the  least  of  these  were  the  wholesome  influences 
which  had  surrounded  his  childhood  and  youth,  and 
which  have  already  been  mentioned  at  sufflcient 
length.  Paul  Troubetzkoy  approached  his  given  task 
with  unclouded  mind,  and  this  very  freedom  from 
restraint,  from  the  irksome  constriction  of  the  past 
and  the  confused  ideals  of  the  present,  is  the  domi- 
nant aim  of  his  production.  Almost  alone  among  his 
colleagues  he  has  been  able  to  survey  nature  with 
unprejudiced  eye,  to  see  in  the  world  about  him  plas- 
tic possibilities  which  have  escaped  or  have  been 
ignored  alike  by  his  predecessors  and  his  contempo- 
raries. The  text  of  this  art  is  life,  and  its  gospel  truth 
to  life  as  he  sees  it.  'T  merely  copy  what  I find  in 
nature,”  is  his  candid  reply  to  those  who  are  moved 
to  ask  for  some  explanation  of  his  work.  Yet  fortu- 
nately that  which  Prince  Troubetzkoy  is  pleased  to 
call  copying  is  in  essence  a recreation  of  what  he  sees. 
The  ol)jects  which,  under  the  impress  of  his  power- 
ful and  nervous  finger-tips,  shape  themselves  so  spon- 
taneously out  of  wax  or  clay  are  by  no  means  what 
another  man  would  term  a copy  of  the  model  before 
him.  They  are  instinct  with  the  very  breath  and 
movement  of  nature,  and  convey  to  us  an  incompara- 
ble sense  of  vitality.  The  desire  to  depict  life  is  the 
key-note  of  Prince  Troubetzkoy ’s  art.  There  lurks 

C64:] 


Younger  daughter  of  Mrs.  William  K.  Vanderbilt  (bust) 


Younger  daugliter  of  Mrs.  William  K.  X'anderbilt  (full  length) 


within  him  a resistless  impulse  to  transcribe  that 
which  he  finds  appealing,  but  in  the  process  of  tran- 
scription he  goes  beyond  mere  outward  semblance 
and  expresses  those  deeper  truths  which  alone  can 
give  actuality  its  broad  and  enduring  significance. 

While  it  is  manifest  that  the  true  distinctions  in 
art  are  those  of  manner  and  method  rather  than  sub- 
ject, nevertheless  each  subject  requires  individual 
presentation,  and  hence  there  are  in  the  work  of  Paul 
Tronbetzkoy  certain  clearly  marked  divisions.  His 
initial  successes  were  achieved  in  the  domain  of  ani- 
mal sculpture,  his  next  in  the  province  of  domestic 
genre,  which  was  in  turn  followed  by  his  equestrian 
statues,  and  lastly  he  has  carried  the  plastic  portrait, 
either  bust  or  full-length,  to  a conspicuous  degree  of 
])erfection.  There  has  scarcely  been  a period  through- 
out his  career  during  which  he  has  not  been  occupied 
simultaneously  with  each  of  these  several  themes,  but 
the  progress  of  his  art  observes  in  the  main  the  fore- 
going lines  of  development.  Both  by  temperament 
and  equipment  he  w^as  peculiarly  fitted  to  seize  the 
characteristic  features  of  animal  life  and  form,  and 
it  is  hence  small  w^onder  that  his  attainments  in  this 
direction  attracted  immediate  notice.  Naturalist  by 
instinct  and  realist  l)y  training,  he  early  gave  to 
horse  or  hound,  to  bear,  camel,  or  elephant,  a verity 

[6-:i 


of  spirit  which  has  no  parallel  in  the  work  of  any 
aniiiialicr  of  the  day.  The  lionesses  of  Barye,  dra- 
matic, ferocious,  and  magnificently  studied  though 
they  be,  are  not  without  touches  of  romanticism 
which  suggest  Delacroix,  and  an  anatomical  perfec- 
tion that  recalls  the  persistence  of  academic  ideals. 
In  the  presence  of  Paul  Tronbetzkoy’s  wolf  or  Si- 
berian sledge-dog,  his  grazing  cow,  or  mare  and  colt, 
you  do  not  think  of  art,  but  of  life.  It  is  here  not  a 
question  of  how  animals  appear  to  the  public,  but 
how  they  look  and  act  to  themselves  and  toward  one 
another.  He  does  not  strive  for  that  startling  veri- 
similitude which  is  the  unique  achievement  of  his 
friend  and  former  studio  associate,  Rembrandt  Bu- 
gatti.  It  is  rather  a synthesis  of  animal  nature  that 
the  art  of  Paul  Tronbetzkoy  offers  us. 

The  first  work  along  these  lines,  effective  as  it  was, 
has  been  far  excelled  by  certain  more  recent  sketches, 
notably  those  entitled  “Pet  Wolf”  and  “Young 
Wolf,”  while  among  the  compositions  involving  more 
than  one  figure  the  “Mare  and  Foal,”  modeled  from 
originals  in  the  stables  of  the  Princess  Tenicheff,  is 
a masterpiece  of  equine  maternal  ism.  If  more  proof 
were  needed  to  demonstrate  the  artist’s  superiority  in 
this  province  it  would  only  be  necessary  to  mention 
his  “Samoyed,  Reindeer,  and  Dogs,”  in  which  that 

C68H 


Mrs.  Lydig 


Mrs.  Harry  Payne  Whitney 


community  of  feeling  existing  between  man  and  ani- 
mals when  thrown  together  on  terms  of  lifelong  in- 
timacy finds  its  most  fitting  expression.  Groups  such 
as  this  do  not  suggest  a mere  seeking  after  novelty 
or  remoteness  of  theme;  they  carry  their  own  accent 
of  conviction.  Something  of  that  Arctic  cold  which 
every  Russian  knows,  and  which  Korolenko  has  so 
wonderfully  pictured  in  his  Siberian  stories,  seems  to 
have  settled  over  this  little  band,  making  them  all 
akin.  They  are  confronted  by  the  same  harsh  condi- 
tions. While  the  vast  snow-clad  and  ice-bound  reaches 
of  the  North  are  subtly  indicated,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  attempt  to  arouse  vague  feelings  of  pity  in 
the  breast  of  the  spectator,  for  these  simple  creatures 
seem  actually  to  relish  the  surroundings  in  which  they 
are  so  truthfully  depicted. 

Treated  with  ec[ual  ease  are  countless  little  duo- 
logues between  women  and  children  and  their  favor- 
ite canines,  who  now  stand  looking  wistfully  into 
their  companions'  faces  or  are  seated  watchfully  by 
their  side.  Apart  from  the  brilliant  and  dexterous 
modeling  of  these  hirsute  bodies,  and  the  infinite  va- 
riety of  attitude  and  arrangement,  they  possess  that 
rare  merit  of  ]U'eserving  intact  the  special  individu- 
ality of  animal  life  and  character.  Though  thrown 
constantly  in  the  society  of  man,  these  dogs  are  [)er- 


initted  to  remain  dogs.  They  are  not  humanized  be- 
yond recognition,  and  for  that  reason  their  relation 
to  master  or  mistress  is  never  lacking  in  piquancy 
and  interest.  The  mood  is  sometimes  a frankly  affec- 
tionate one,  as  in  the  group  known  as  ‘‘Friends,” 
showing  the  little  girl  seated  with  her  right  arm  rest- 
ing easily  over  the  dog’s  back.  Again  it  is  full  of  dis- 
cerning apposition,  as  in  the  young  woman  and  dog 
facing  each  other  and  seen  at  their  best  in  direct  pro- 
file. You  never  feel  on  viewing  this  work,  which  is 
everywhere  so  truthful  and  spirited,  that  Prince  Trou- 
betzkoy  is  manufacturing  his  predilection  for  such 
material.  Innate  love  and  knowledge  are  behind 
everything  he  does.  He  has  taken  from  the  world  of 
fact  only  those  things  which  appeal  to  him  with  posi- 
tive impetus,  and  one  cannot  fail  to  discover  in  his 
least  touch  the  stamp  of  veritable  creative  enthusiasm. 

Similar  in  conception,  though  on  a more  intimate 
and  at  the  same  time  more  exalted  plane,  are  those 
glimpses  of  domestic  scene  which  form  such  an  in- 
tegral part  of  his  production.  Among  his  earliest 
efforts  in  this  direction  were  several  studies  of  ma- 
ternity, showdng  mothers  and  children  in  various 
natural  and  expressive  poses,  each  indicative  of  some 
special  ])hase  of  the  same  appealing  relationship.  At 
times,  as  in  “Mother  and  Child,”  which  shows  the 


The  Princess  Gagarin  witli  her  dangliter 


Sketch  of  Mile.  Fiirstenberg 


standing  figure  of  a member  of  his  own  family — the 
Princess  Gagarin — holding  aloft  a healthy-looking 
bambina,  the  note  is  one  of  discreet  pride,  while  in 
“Maternal  Tenderness”  we  have,  in  the  seated  mother 
with  her  left  arm  clasped  about  the  little  girl  and  her 
lips  resting  against  her  soft  hair,  one  of  the  deepest 
and  most  moving  versions  of  this  perennial  theme. 
XT  one  save  perhaps  EngGie  Carriere  has  expressed 
the  essence  of  mother  love  with  such  penetrant  ten- 
derness, and  those  to  w^hom  definitions  are  necessary 
may  well  call  Paul  Troubetzkoy  the  sculptor  of  ma- 
ternity just  as  CarriG'e  has  been  so  appropriately 
christened  the  painter  of  maternity.  Balancing  the 
domestic  picture,  and  complementary  to  it,  are  those 
groups  wherein  the  father  is  seen  usually  in  the  com- 
pany of  his  infant  or  half-grown  daughter.  X^o- 
where  has  this  phase  of  family  affection  been  better 
de])icted  than  in  the  double  bust  portrait  originally 
exhibited  under  the  title  “Tenerezza  Paterna,”  which 
discloses  a youngish  man  with  left  arm  about  his  little 
girl’s  shoulder,  their  heads  nestled  close  together  in 
])erfect  unanimity  of  mood  and  feeling.  Tt  would 
have  been  easy  in  treating  such  episodes  to  have  erred 
on  the  side  of  sentimentality,  and  countless  artists 
have  snccnml)ed  to  this  temptation.  There  is,  how- 
ever, in  the  work  of  T^rince  Troiil)ctzkoy  an  instinc- 


tive  reserve  which  saves  him  from  such  almost  in- 
evitable pitfalls. 

Before  leaving  the  field  of  genre,  which  has  proved 
such  a congenial  one  to  Paul  Tronbetzkoy,  mention 
must  be  made  of  two  or  three  subjects  which  to  a 
certain  extent  stand  apart  from  the  main  body  of  his 
work.  In  the  charming  “Flight  of  Time”  he  has  per- 
mitted himself  to  indulge  in  his  only  bit  of  allegory, 
and,  as  usual,  his  inborn  tact  has  prevented  him  from 
perpetrating  anything  in  the  least  over-emphatic.  It 
was  a delicate  fancy  which  led  him  to  point  the  hands 
of  the  dial  into  whose  face  the  young  woman  is  some- 
what ruefully  gazing  to  quarter  of  eleven,  and  in 
other  respects,  too,  the  little  group  reveals  his  cus- 
tomary artistic  intuition.  Of  a distinctly  more 
sprightly  nature  is  the  “Fiacre  in  the  Snow,”  which 
shows  a typical  Milanese  cabby  overtaken  by  a storm, 
his  horse’s  head  lowered  in  mute  discomfort  and  his 
vehicle  crusted  with  new-fallen  snow.  Technically 
the  simple  incident  is  a joy  to  those  who  relish  close 
observation  and  clever,  realistic  handling.  It  is 
Raffaelli-like  in  its  illustrative  quality  and  indeed 
aptly  recalls  the  art  of  the  facile  painter-etcher  of  the 
Paris  boulevards  and  hanlicuc.  Eciually  character- 
istic, though  of  Russian,  not  European,  street  life,  is 
the  “Sledge  in  the  Snow,”  which  serves  as  a com- 

C763 


Daughter  of  the  Prince  Scipione  Borghese  on  horseback 
1908 


Daughter  of  the  Prince  Scipione  Borghese 
1908 


panion  piece  to  the  preceding  and  was  done  four  years 
later  in  Moscow.  The  humble  izvostchik,  tightly 
muffled  in  his  greatcoat  and  cap,  his  fingers  thrust 
into  his  capacious  sleeves,  as  well  as  horse  and  low- 
bnilt  sledge,  are  delightful  in  their  crisp  suggestion 
of  detail.  You  do  not,  in  studying  any  of  this  work, 
experience  the  slightest  suspicion  of  fatigue.  The 
execution  is  everywhere  broad  and  synthetic.  The 
artist  early  learned  to  avoid  over-statement,  and  that 
is  precisely  why  his  touch  remains,  throughout,  so 
refreshing  and  replete  with  spontaneous  truth. 

Previous  to  undertaking  the  equestrian  statue  on 
a heroic  scale  Paul  Troubetzkoy  first  mastered  what 
may  be  described  as  the  equestrian  portrait,  among 
the  earliest  of  which  may  be  signaled  those  of  an 
''Italian  Cavalryman”  and  of  Signor  Madiliani, 
and  among  the  most  successful  those  of  Tolstoy.  It 
is  impossible  not  to  accord  the  "Tolstoy  on  Horse- 
back” one  of  the  very  foremost  positions  in  the  hier- 
archy of  Prince  Troubetzkoy ’s  art.  While  lacking  the 
dramatic  alertness  which  characterizes  the  "Indian 
Scout,”  which  also  belongs  in  this  category,  it  is  un- 
approached in  its  significant  verity  of  form  and  deep 
humanity  of  feeling.  Both  horse  and  rider  are  won- 
derfully convincing.  Plastic  realism  and  the  interpre- 
tation of  personality,  both  human  and  equine,  can  in 


fact  scarcely  go  further.  Lacking  perhaps  in  the 
same  close  and  comprehensive  analysis,  but  more  pic- 
torially  effective,  is  the  “Bedouin  Horseman”  on  his 
spirited  Arab  charger,  every  line  of  which  suggests 
suppleness  and  speed.  Xor  is  the  sculptor’s  taste 
wholly  confined  to  man,  either  militant,  modern, 
primitive,  or  grandly  philosophic,  for  nothing  could 
offer  a more  appropriate  note  of  contrast  to  the  pre- 
ceding than  the  equestrian  portrait  of  his  own  wife 
in  Russian  cap  or  the  lithe  figure  of  the  young  daugh- 
ter of  Princess  Borghese,  seated  bareback  astride  her 
favorite  pony,  an  epitome  of  girlish  health  and  whole- 
some frankness  in  dress  and  manner. 

It  is  only  a step,  though  an  important  one  estheti- 
cally  speaking,  from  equestrian  portraiture  to  the 
sterner  demands  of  the  equestrian  statue,  and  for  this 
work,  too.  Prince  Trouhetzkoy  has  more  than  once 
proved  his  fitness.  During  the  early  Milanese  days  it 
was  naturally  his  ambition  to  secure  orders  for  some 
of  the  public  monuments  then  being  erected  through- 
out Italy.  To  this  end  he  executed  numerous  sketches 
of  striking  merit  and  originality,  most  of  which  were 
unfortunately  unsuccessful  in  gaining  for  him  the 
coveted  commissions.  Finely  conceived  as  were  the 
models  for  the  statues  of  Prince  Amedeo  of  Savoy 
and  General  Fanti,  as  well  as  the  more  recent  and 


Marquesa  Casa  Fuei  te 


Tlie  Princess  Baratinsky 
Mine.  Lydie  Yaworska 


better  known  design  for  the  Alexander  II  monument, 
the  artist  was  obliged  in  these  instances  to  accept  his 
portion  of  public  neglect  and  malcomprehension. 
The  “General  Cadorna”  at  Pallanza  is  a \velcome  ex- 
ception to  this  rule,  and  he  has  in  addition  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  the  massive,  rugged  sincerity 
of  his  “Alexander  111“  will  forever  rebuke  the 
inflated  eloquence  of  Falconet’s  near-by  “Peter,”  as 
well  as  close  the  mouths  of  those  wdio  consider  him 
merely  as  a master  of  Kleinplastik.  It  may  take 
phlegmatic  opinion  some  years  to  appreciate  this  same 
“Alexander,”  but  it  is  not  impossible  that  it  may 
ultimately  find  place  in  that  glorious  procession 
which  will  ever  be  headed  by  the  “Gattamelata”  of 
Donatello  and  the  “Colleoni”  of  V^errocchio.  While 
considering  his  plans  for  other  public  monuments 
there  is  one  which,  though  not  an  equestrian,  must 
never  be  ignored,  and  that  is  the  lofty  pedestal 
crowned  by  the  cloaked  figure  of  Dante,  originally 
designed  for  the  city  of  Trent.  Though  so  seemingly 
resistless  in  its  imaginative  fervor  and  philosophic 
flepth,  it  likewise  met  with  an  unsympathetic  recep- 
tion and  was  not  successful  in  obtaining  for  its  au- 
thor the  much-desired  commission. 

Despite  the  diversity  of  his  production  and  his 
unquestioned  al)ility  in  so  many  flifferent  directions, 


it  is  in  the  province  of  plastic  portraiture  that  Prince 
Tronbetzkoy  has  attained  chief  recognition.  Long 
before  the  bust  of  Segantini,  which  bears  the  date  of 
1895,  devoted  his  energies  to  this  branch  of 

activity,  and  not  a year  has  passed  during  which  he 
has  not  executed  numerous  works  of  this  character. 
The  note  of  romantic  abstraction  so  appropriate  to 
the  Italian-Swiss  painter's  life  and  personality  has 
gradually  been  replaced  by  a crisp  and  discerning 
modernity  of  perception  which  shirks  no  element  of 
actuality  and  shows  its  disregard  for  precedent  by 
boldly  attacking  the  most  puzzling  problems  of  con- 
temporary costume.  While  individual  preference 
may  be  on  the  side  of  his  animal  sculpture,  or  his 
equestrian  statues,  there  can  be  no  question  that  the 
decisive  originality  of  his  contribution  to  current 
art  lies  in  the  bits  of  wax,  bronze,  or  plaster,  now 
small  and  Tanagra-like,  now  life-size,  with  which 
his  name  is  to-day  so  widely  associated.  The  esthetic 
creed  of  Paul  Tronbetzkoy  consists  of  two  brief,  con- 
cise, and  interdependent  statements:  “Pas  de  nu,  pas 
de  symbole,”  and  his  production  is  remarkable  alike 
for  its  avoidance  of  the  nude  and  of  that  vacuous 
symbolism  so  necessary  to  those  who  are  too  cow- 
ardly or  too  incompetent  to  face  the  facts  of  every- 
day existence  and  extract  whatever  measure  of  beauty 


Danseuse  (Mile.  Svirskj') 


Mme. 


may  reside  therein.  There  are  no  feeble  compromises 
in  this  art.  It  has  completely  freed  itself  from  the 
tyranny  of  classic  form  and  arrayed  itself  frankly  on 
the  side  of  contemporary  life.  These  men  wear  the 
customary  garb  of  to-day,  and  these  slender,  patri- 
cian women  do  not  disdain  the  most  modish  of  mod- 
ern toilettes.  And  yet  this  is  by  no  means  equivalent 
to  saying  that  the  artist  lays  special  stress  on  the 
(jiiestion  of  clothes  as  such.  He  is  a sculptor,  not 
a tailor  or  habit-maker.  There  is  in  this  work  no 
more  regard  for  mere  minutiae  than  when  he  so 
cleverly  and  rapidly  indicates  the  shaggy  coat  of  his 
favorite  Sil)erian  wolf  or  his  beloved  “Rosa.” 

The  essence  of  the  matter  is  that  Paul  Tronhetzkoy 
is  not  a slave  of  the  past.  He  glories  in  specific  ob- 
servation, and  snch  is  his  fundamental  integrity  of 
purpose  that  he  would  not  condescend  to  model  any- 
thing that  was  not  directly  before  his  eyes.  Since  he 
does  not  see  man  in  the  guise  of  a Greco-Roman  hero, 
or  woman  des])orting  herself  as  a sylvan  goddess,  he 
llatly  declines  to  picture  them  so.  Banal  al)stractions 
rejoicing  in  aiq^tellations  of  “Vanity,”  “Sur]n*ise,” 
“Benevolence,”  and  the  like  he  liolds  in  righteous 
horror,  and  looks  with  a mixture  of  ])ity  and  indig- 
nation upon  those  who  continue  to  per|)etrate  such 
manifest  artistic  anachronisms. 


Possessing  views  so  sane  and  so  conrageous,  it  was 
not  long  before  Prince  Troiibetzkoy  outgrew  even 
the  modified  conventionality  of  the  abbreviated  bust 
likeness,  and  began  doing  full-length  figures  almost 
exclusively.  The  vigorous,  brusquely  conceived  head 
of  Signor  F.  Cameroni,  with  glasses  perched  athwart 
his  nose,  gave  place  to  numerous  masculine  portraits 
seen  in  their  entirety,  now  seated  as  are  those  of 
Prince  Galitzin,  Serge  Witte,  Senor  Sorolla,  and 
M.  Gil,  now  standing,  as  in  the  cases  of  Signor 
Giulio  Savarese,  Auguste  Rodin,  Anatole  France, 
Mr.  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  Paul  Helleu  and  Sir  William 
Eden.  Circumstances  often  require  the  execution  of 
a bust  only,  but  it  is  clear  that  the  artist  prefers  a 
more  comprehensive  version  of  his  subject,  no  matter 
what  the  sex  or  age  may  be.  In  these  and  similar 
works  the  individualization  of  each  model  is  achieved 
to  a degree  that  is  little  short  of  phenomenal.  You 
may  not  know,  but  you  instinctively  feel,  that  the 
l)ulky  Prince  Galitzin  must  be  a typical  Russian 
landed  pro])rietor;  you  grasp  at  once  the  air  of 
worldly  indifiference  in  the  attitude  of  Signor  Sava- 
rese, whose  hands  are  thrust  negligently  into  his 
trousers  pockets ; and  almost  any  one  could  perceive 
the  tremendous  creative  energy  expressed  in  the 
sturdy,  titanic  frame  of  Rodin,  or  that  gentle  flavor 

css: 


Mme.  Goujon 


Mme.  Hoerneimer  (first  view) 


of  intellectual  skepticism  which  is  so  characteristic  of 
Anatole  France.  Eloquent  as  are  these  portraits  in 
the  round,  they  betray  no  suspicion  of  the  tricky  or 
factitious.  The  execution  is  adroit  and  often  sum- 
mary, yet  behind  this  ready  facility  lurks  the  keenest 
observation  and  the  most  scrupulous  regard  for  exis- 
tent form  as  it  appears  to  the  eye.  Prince  Trou- 
betzkoy  is  not  so  much  occupied  in  making  so-called 
statues  as  he  is  in  translating  the  life  about  him  into 
a plastic  language  which  will  not  belie,  but  embody, 
that  reality  which  is  the  watchword  of  his  least  as  of 
his  most  ambitious  effort. 

The  individual  characterization  so  soundly  attained 
in  his  studies  of  men  is  paralleled  by  an  equal  though 
more  subtle  sense  of  particularization  when  he  turns 
to  his  women  subjects.  From  the  early  seated  like- 
ness of  Mine.  Hoerneimer  to  the  recent  standing 
figure  of  the  Princess  Bariatinsky  (Mine.  Fydie 
Vaworska)  ; from  the  hesitant  grace  of  “Uscendo 
dal  Ballo,”  to  the  achdal  abandon  of  Mile.  Svirsky 
])oised  u])on  the  tip  of  her  toe,  this  jihase  of  Paul 
Trouhetzkoy's  art  is  constant,  though  ever  varied  in 
a]:>peal.  The  faint,  indefinahle  jierfume  of  femininity 
]^ervades  each  of  these  jirecious  hits  of  bronze  or  ]:>las- 
ter  which  collectively  constitute  the  flower  of  the 
sculptor’s  achievement.  No  technical  problem  has 


been  too  difficult  for  him  to  attack  and  to  solve  with 
his  accustomed  skill.  The  sheen  of  silk,  the  soft 
flutter  of  an  ostrich  plume,  the  rhythmic  undulation 
of  the  coiffure,  or  the  rose-petal  radiance  of  a delicate 
complexion,  — each  seems  to  have  presented  but  scant 
difficulty.  The  suggestion  of  color  as  well  as  of  tex- 
ture is  remarkable  in  all  Prince  Tronbetzkoy’s  work, 
but  notably  so  in  his  portraits  of  young  girls  and 
women,  who  indeed  in  these  drab  days  are  the  only 
section  of  our  society  to  indulge  in  any  sort  of  chro- 
matic license.  As  in  the  case  of  his  men,  the  artist 
prefers  to  portray  his  female  subjects  full  length, 
after  the  manner  of  the  likenesses  of  Mrs.  Vander- 
bilt and  her  daughters,  and  by  this  means  secures 
an  added  diversity  of  pose  and  attitude.  Nothing 
could  be  less  conventional,  for  example,  than  the 
recent  portrait  of  his  own  wife  in  hat  and  street 
dress,  which  represents  in  many  ways  the  most  char- 
acteristically modern  phase  of  his  art  yet  attempted. 
The  intellectual  comprehension  revealed  in  his  like- 
nesses of  the  painters,  thinkers,  and  writers  of  his 
acquaintance  is  in  no  way  second  to  his  understand- 
ing of  these  more  volatile  temperaments  whom  he 
has  pictured  in  all  their  instantaneonsness  of  mood 
and  manner.  In  tenderly  traced  profile,  slender, 
finted  throat,  or  deft  turn  of  wrist  he  proves  him- 


ATme.  TToerneimer  (secotid  view) 


The  Princess  Paul  Troubetzkoy 
(Oil  portrait) 


self  an  incomparable  evocator  of  feminine  grace 
and  form.  Pensive,  animated,  full  of  allnring  artifice 
or  infantile  simplicity,  they  are  alike  the  last  word  of 
our  latter-day  civilization  and  the  culminating  point 
of  Paul  Tronbetzkoy’s  esthetic  accomplishment.  It 
is,  indeed,  not  to  sculpture  at  all,  but  to  the  kindred 
realm  of  painting  and  the  graphic  arts — to  Watteau 
in  the  eighteenth  century  and  to  Helleu  in  the  twen- 
tieth— that  one  must  look  for  a similar  delicacy  of 
intuition  and  persuasive  charm  of  presentation. 

It  can  scarcely  be  imagined  that  qualities  so  un- 
common in  the  plastic  art  of  onr  own  or  of  any  age 
could  have  been  attained  without  a correspondingly 
responsive  equipment,  and  hence  no  consideration  of 
the  work  of  Prince  Tronbetzkoy  would  be  complete 
without  proper  emphasis  upon  the  purely  technical 
side  of  his  talent.  Sculpture,  according  to  him,  is  a 
living  medium,  and  his  art  simply  the  result  of  his 
emotions  when  face  to  face  with  nature.  As  we  have 
already  seen,  his  position  is  highly  personal,  and  in 
no  sense  a reflection  of  the  o])inion  and  practice  of 
those  who  have  gone  before.  ''Close  the  studio  doors 
to  literature,  to  tradition,  to  everything  that  is  not 
form,  expression,  and  color,”  is  his  own  significant 
dictum,  and  it  is  ap[)arent  that  he,  at  least,  is  true  to 
this  salutary  credo.  ITe  is  an  artistic  instinct,  not  an 


artistic  intellect,  and  this  is  mainly  the  reason  why  he 
is  able  to  preserve  unspoiled  the  priceless  unity  of  his 
hrst  vision  of  a given  object.  His  work  does  not 
reveal  analysis;  it  reveals  synthesis.  He  sees  life 
vividly,  and  he  sees  it  whole.  ‘'That  which  I strive  to 
do,”  he  says,  with  contagions  enthusiasm,  “is  to  con- 
vey as  effectively  as  possible  the  impressions  I receive 
from  nature,  without  troubling  myself  about  the 
artistic  productions  of  either  past  or  present,  which 
could  never  give  me  the  same  intensity  of  feeling  I 
obtain  from  direct  observation,  for  it  is  in  nature  that 
I find  the  entire  beauty  and  grandeur  of  existence. 
When  I study  and  reproduce  a living  thing,  it  is  not 
the  thing  itself  I wish  to  represent,  but  life — that  life 
which  vivifies  and  animates  all  things  alike.”  Such 
are  the  views  of  Paul  Troubetzkoy,  and  they  are 
obviously  those  of  a sane,  sturdy  soul,  a man  who  is 
neither  overawed  by  the  paralyzing  weight  of  au- 
thority nor  perturbed  by  the  activities  of  those  about 
him.  His  attitude  is  that  of  a primal  being  who 
steers  his  course  clear  and  straight  amid  the  complexi- 
ties of  modern  days  and  the  confused  heritage  of  the 
ages. 

While  it  is  one  thing  to  possess  a programme,  it  is 
cpiite  another  to  carry  it  out,  yet  with  a temperament 
such  as  Paul  Troubetzkoy  boasts  the  two  inevitably 

[9^0 


Sketcli  of  Princess  Paul  TroiibetzK-oy 


Princess  I’aul  'rroubetzkoy 


o'o  hand  in  hand.  First  and  last  he  is  a believer  in 

o 

the  universality  of  scnlptnral  language.  Fie  restriets 
neither  its  choiee  of  theme  nor  its  manner  of  treat- 
ment to  any  of  the  conventionally  imposed  limitations 
so  dear  to  didactic  minds.  Having  freed  his  medium 
from  the  empty  anonymity  of  the  past,  he  has  no 
intention  of  permitting  it  to  evade  the  obligations  of 
the  present.  Scnlptnre  according  to  him  should  ex- 
press not  only  form,  but  light  and  air  as  well.  It  is 
not  sufficient,  he  holds,  to  portray  the  object  itself ; we 
must  also  give  some  hint  of  those  conditions  which 
surround  and  subtly  modify  it.  As  will  doubtless  be 
inferred.  Prince  Tronbetzkoy  is  a confirmed  impres- 
sionist in  theory  as  well  as  in  practice,  and  it  has  been 
his  artistic  mission  to  transfer  to  his  own  medium 
certain  of  those  hard- won  qualities  which  are  to-day 
among  the  cherished  triumphs  of  the  contemporary 
])alette.  He  was  always,  indeed,  an  impressionist,  an 
imconscions  one  perhaps,  but  nevertheless  in  his  in- 
stinctive fashion  a pioneer  in  the  field.  His  hatred 
of  l)road,  unrelieved  surface  was  marked  from  the 
outset.  He  wished  to  give  his  work  the  aspect  of 
reality,  and  thus  restlessly  broke  up  the  planes  wher- 
ever and  whenever  he  could.  That  he  was  right  there 
can  be  no  question,  for  it  is  not  l)v  a minute  system 
of  measurements  nor  a closeness  of  finish  which  mav 

[!99:i 


only  be  appreciated  near  at  hand  that  sculpture  can 
hope  to  convey  a convincing  sense  of  actuality,  hut 
through  a proper  regard  for  the  intervening  distance 
— which  is  equivalent  to  saying  the  atmosphere — 
which  separates  a given  object  from  the  observer. 
As  the  distance,  the  angle  of  observation,  and  the 
atmospheric  density  vary,  so  will  the  aspect  of  the 
object  vary,  and  thus,  geometrically  exact  though  it 
may  he,  it  will  nevertheless  often  seem  false  to  the 
average  eye.  It  is  hence  manifestly  not  with  real  but 
with  apparent  form  as  well  as  color  that  art  is  con- 
cerned, a point  upon  which  it  is  impossible  to  lay  too 
much  stress.  These  are  some  of  the  fundamental 
truths  that  the  young  sculptor  was  quick  to  grasp, 
and  it  was  upon  this  sound  basis  that  his  subsecjuent 
efforts  toward  self-expression  were  founded. 

Neglecting  none  of  the  essentials  of  anatomical 
structure,  yet  giving  to  the  exterior  portions  of  his 
work  a hitherto  unknown  variety  of  surface  through 
the  fleeting  play  of  light  and  shade,  it  was  not  long 
before  Paul  Trouhetzkoy  had  evolved  a style  of  his 
own.  He  was  naturally  not  alone  in  his  efforts,  for 
artistic,  like  other  movements,  are  synchronous.  No 
one  else,  however,  was  so  quick  to  seize  upon  the  pos- 
sibilities offered  by  this  new  and  free  manner  of  treat- 
ment, or  to  carry  them  to  their  ultimate  conclusion. 

C^oo;] 


Princess  Paul  Troubetzkoy  at  the  piano 


Princess  Paul  Troubetzkoy  (first  view) 


A painter  as  well  as  a seulptor,  he  was  able  to  profit 
by  his  training  in  both  arts  at  one  and  the  same  time, 
and  produce  effects  heretofore  unattempted.  You 
cannot  grasp  the  full  significance  of  his  method  until 
you  stop  to  appreciate  how  by  an  infinitude  of  supple, 
accurate  touches  he  is  able  to  create,  for  instance,  the 
illusion  of  cold  in  the  '‘Samoyed,  Reindeer,  and 
Dogs,”  or  the  fragrance  of  feminine  seduction  in  his 
frankly  modern  divinities  of  society  or  the  stage. 
This  work  never  seems  hard  or  tight.  It  is  not  statu- 
ary seen  as  it  were  in  a vacuum,  or  frozen  into  inflex- 
ible molds;  it  is  form  l)athed  and  softened  by  that 
fluid  ambience  which  ])ermeates  all  things. 

Just  as  it  has  been  in  no  small  degree  his  mission 
to  break  that  monotony  of  contour,  sha])e,  and  sur- 
face which  has  so  heavily  oppressed  plastic  produc- 
tion— to  l)reak  it,  it  must  clearly  be  understood,  by 
surrounding  his  groups  with  light  and  air  — so  it  has 
been  his  pleasure  to  relieve  that  uniformity  of  tone 
which  has  been  a similar  curse  by  adding  the  magic 
gift  of  color.  Color  as  it  is  understood  m sculpture 
is  not,  as  the  ])hlegmatic  are  apt  to  assume,  a mere 
esthetic  fantasy.  Actual  color,  of  course,  does  not 
exist,  unless  api)lied  externally  as  with  the  ancients, 
or  contained  in  the  material  itself;  but  color  sugges- 
tion may  be,  and  in  the  case  of  Paul  Troubetzkoy  has 

t '«3:i 


been,  carried  to  a high  degree  of  effectiveness.  It  is 
a mere  step  from  impressionism  to  coloration;  pos- 
sibly even  they  are  coexistent.  In  any  event,  they 
l)oth  depend  largely  upon  the  visual  intensity  of  the 
impression  received,  and  in  sculpture  are  both  ex- 
pressed by  the  same  method,  namely,  the  sensitive 
manipnlation  of  light  and  shadow.  The  problem  is 
simply  how  to  translate  a polychrome  object  into  an 
image  which  will  still  retain  some  indication  of  the 
colors  of  the  original.  The  main  tones  are  transposed 
into  what  are  commonly  known  in  plastic  terminology 
as  values,  that  is  to  say,  surfaces  which  by  resource- 
ful gradation  are  variously  and  unequally  lighted. 
It  is,  of  course,  impossible  merely  through  the  differ- 
ing quality  of  these  values  to  get  anything  like  abso- 
lute equivalents  for  a given  scale  of  colors.  All  that 
is  in  fact  attempted  is  an  approximation,  an  en- 
deavor by  such  means  to  escape  that  monochromatic 
monotony  which  has  so  long  distinguished  sculpture 
in  general.  There  can  be  little  question  in  the  minds 
of  the  unprejudiced  that  Paul  Tronbetzkoy,  among 
others,  has  in  a measure  achieved  this  aim.  Possess- 
ing a remarkable  eye  and  a ready,  responsive  hand, 
he  consciously  or  unconsciously  succeeds  in  covering 
his  tiniest  statuette  or  his  most  imposing  figure  with 
a delicate,  evasive  tonality  which  more  or  less  corre- 


Princess  I’aul  Troubctzkoj"  (second  view) 


Princess  Paul  'Pronbetzkoy  in  street  attire 


spoiuls  to  the  hues  of  nature.  Technically  it  consti- 
tutes the  climax  of  his  development,  and  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  no  future  sculptor  can  hope  to 
realize  the  fullness  of  his  powers  without  taking  into 
consideration  the  possibilities  of  color  suggestion. 

Important  as  questions  of  luminosity  and  pigmen- 
tation undeniably  are  to  those  who  regard  sculpture 
with  something  more  than  casual  interest,  there  re- 
mains one  point  in  the  art  of  Paul  Troubetzkoy  which 
has  always  proved  a stuml)ling-block  to  the  larger 
pul)lic,  and  upon  which  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  add  a 
few  lines.  It  is,  of  course,  to  the  matter  of  relative 
sketchiness  or  lack  of  finish  that  reference  is  made, 
and  experience  has  proved  that  nothing  is  more 
highly  cherished  by  the  average  spectator  than  a pain- 
ful smugness  and  precision  which  are  the  absolute 
negation  of  life  and  verit)y  either  real  or  apparent. 
Paul  Troubetzkoy,  as  we  have  more  than  once  oli- 
served,  treats  his  material  with  a spirited  lilierty 
which  is  the  direct  antithesis  of  everything  that  is 
scholastic  or  pedantic.  He  does  not  scruple  to  neglect 
the  incidental  in  order  to  concentrate  all  the  finesse 
at  his  command  upon  the  essential  only.  He  is  far 
too  resourceful  to  weary  us  with  inconseciuential  de- 
tail. If  there  is  in  his  art  a pro])ortionately  larger 
area  of  indefinite  treatment  than  is  the  case  with  most 

C ’07] 


modern  sculpture,  the  reasons  are  obvious.  It  is  not 
myopic  exactitude,  but  the  invigorating  simulation  of 
life  and  motion,  that  he  is  after.  He  deems  it  better 
to  leave  his  work  pulsating  with  vitality  than  to 
smother  it,  as  so  many  do,  with  meticulous  elabora- 
tion. That  he  has  been  successful  in  attaining  this 
effect  there  can  be  no  question.  These  little  figures 
do  not  seem  isolated  objects  held  up  for  cold  inspec- 
tion, but  veritable  fragments  of  that  creative  energy 
which  seeks  its  expression  in  all  forms  and  all  chan- 
nels, and  wdiich  has  found  in  him  a stalwart  and  con- 
vincing champion.  Though  so  full  of  vital  intensity, 
this  art  is  by  no  means  lacking  in  that  sheer  technical 
mastery  which  never  fails  to  delight  the  professional 
craftsman.  It  is  clever,  at  times  almost  perilously  so. 
It  reveals  a fluent  dexterity  which  recalls  the  Span- 
ish painter  Sorolla  or  the  Italian  Boldini.  There  was 
indeed  a period  when,  had  the  young  sculptor  pos- 
sessed less  sincerity  of  observation  and  stability  of 
purpose,  he  might  have  become  more  facile  than 
veracious,  but  he  has  happily  been  preserved  from 
such  an  ignominious  fate. 

Absorbing  as  are  the  technical  aspects  of  this  art, 
it  is  to  its  broader  and  more  general  application  that 
chief  interest  attaches.  In  its  courageous  modernity 
of  choice,  its  spontaneity  of  utterance,  and  its  succes- 


Princess  Paul  Troubetzkoy  on  horseback 


Portrait  bust  of  young  woman 


sive  conquest  of  the  elusive  factors  of  air  and  color, 
it  assuredly  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  important 
esthetic  manifestations  of  recent  times.  Though 
suggesting  numerous  analogies  in  the  kindred  prov- 
ince of  painting,  it  specifically  recalls  the  contribution 
of  Edouard  Manet,  for  just  as  Manet  was  the  fore- 
most pictorial  impressionist  of  his  day,  so  is  Paul 
Tronbetzkoy  the  leading  exponent  of  plastic  impres- 
sionism. There  are  of  course  no  resemblances  what- 
ever between  the  methods  of  the  two  men,  as  Manet 
painted  in  flat  tones  and  was  the  avowed  enemy  of 
everything  that  savored  of  actual  modeling.  The 
parallel  is  entirely  on  the  theoretical  side.  Their  ideas 
were  much  the  same,  they  fought  for  many  of  the 
same  things,  and  carried  them  out  according  to  the 
special  requirements  of  their  respective  media.  The 
younger  man’s  work  is  marked  by  the  same  detesta- 
tion of  the  effetely  classic,  by  the  same  hatred  of  am- 
bitions and  empty  symbolism,  by  the  same  abhorrence 
of  futile  finish,  and  by  the  same  love  of  life  in  all  its 
manifold  forms  and  phases.  They  also  resemble  each 
other  in  their  artistic  restraint,  for  nothing  could  be 
saner  or  more  straightforward  than  the  methods  em- 
ployed by  each. 

The  revolution  accomplished  with  such  unsought 
reclame  by  Edouard  Planet  in  i)ainting  is  being  con- 


clncted  by  Troiibetzkoy  in  the  field  of  sculpture  with- 
out the  least  hint  of  exaggeration  or  intransigeance. 
His  nature  is  an  essentially  pacific  one.  He  is  utterly 
devoid  of  those  militant  qualities  which  made  Manet 
the  born  leader  of  that  gallant  little  band  which 
fought  so  valiantly  for  its  very  existence  against  the 
persistent  ascendancy  of  academic  influence.  Paul 
Trouhetzkoy  possesses  that  broad  creative  uncon- 
sciousness which  belongs  to  simple,  unsophisticated 
souls.  Full  of  novelty  as  his  viewpoint  is,  he  never 
strives  after  those  eccentric  effects  which  delight  the 
taste  of  the  decadent  or  the  immature.  His  art  is  not 
a perversion,  but  a presentation  of  reality.  He  feels 
no  desire  to  startle,  disturb,  or  distort  in  any  way 
the  normal  vision  of  the  average  being.  So  close, 
indeed,  in  theme  is  this  art  to  the  observation  and 
experience  of  the  general  public  that  one  is  apt  to 
overlook  those  qualities  which  so  sharply  differentiate 
it  from  current  production  along  similar  lines.  While 
it  is  true  that  his  subjects  often  resemble  those  of 
Riviere,  Bernstamm,  or  Maillard,  who  are  to-day 
working  side  l)y  side  with  him  in  Paris,  nothing  could 
be  further  apart  than  the  results  achieved  in  each 
case.  You  could  never  confuse  the  work  of  Paul 
Troiibetzkoy  with  that  of  any  other  artist.  The 
stamp  of  his  individuality  is  everywhere  unmistaka- 


Young  woman  knitting 


Young  woman  seated  on  bencli 


ble.  And  yet  it  must  always  be  borne  in  mind  that 
he  takes  life  quite  as  he  finds  it.  Fie  does  not  seek 
to  invent  new  forms,  but  to  do  something  infinitely 
more  dhfienlt  — to  give  fresh  spirit  and  impetus  to 
those  whieh  already  exist. 

If  you  should  chance  to  survey  the  field  of  con- 
temporary sculpture  with  a certain  fullness  of  under- 
standing, you  would  encounter  three  dominant  fig- 
ures, three  figures  which,  not  alone  by  virtue  of  their 
accomplishment  itself,  but  through  the  commanding 
significance  of  their  ])ersonality  and  inlluence  as  well, 
occupy  a place  apart.  The  name  of  one,  Auguste 
Rodin,  springs  spontaneously  to  the  lips;  the  other 
two  are  Constantin  Meunier  and  Paul  Troubetzkoy. 
This  is,  of  course,  not  equivalent  to  saying  that  these 
men  are  our  three  greatest  modern  sculptors,  for  such 
a contention  would  be  l)oth  invidious  and  juvenile. 
It  is  merely  that,  in  relation  to  a somewhat  more  in- 
clusive view  of  art  than  is  usually  taken,  their  work 
stands  out  in  bold  relief  against  a decidedly  difluse 
and  indefinite  background.  In  art  as  in  every  |)hase 
of  organized  activity,  it  is  necessary  to  Iiave  a pro- 
gramme, to  move  toward  some  s])ecific  end,  and  this  is 
eminently  the  case  with  the  above-mentioned  men. 
They  each  ])resent  a clear  image  of  that  which  lies 
before  them,  and  everything  they  undertake  merely 

10 ' 3 n 


adds  to  its  relative  finality.  Their  work  stands  for  a 
certain  definite  sequence  of  ideas,  and  as  such  marks 
a distinct  epoch  in  the  onward  inarch  of  esthetic  and 
intellectual  expression. 

Radically  different  in  most  respects,  they  have  one 
additional  point  in  common,  and  that  is  that,  had  they 
so  chosen,  they  might  each  have  won  commensurate 
recognition  in  painting  as  well  as  sculpture.  The 
dry-points,  drawings,  and  color  sketches  of  Rodin 
are  among  the  most  cherished  acquisitions  of  the 
discriminating  collector;  for  the  first  fifty  years  of 
his  career,  saving  a brief  period  at  the  outset,  Con- 
stantin Meunier  was  exclusively  a painter;  and  it  is 
needless  to  reaffirm  the  penchant  Paul  Troubetzkoy 
has  always  displayed  for  brushes  and  palette.  Boast- 
ing so  comprehensive  an  endowment,  it  is  natural  that 
the  work  of  these  men  should  possess  distinct  graphic 
as  well  as  plastic  appeal,  and  this  is  largely  why  it  has 
been  able  to  exert  such  a profound  and  far-reaching 
influence  upon  the  popular  mind.  Their  conception 
of  the  functions  of  their  craft  has  been  liberal  in  the 
extreme,  and  has  met  with  corresponding-  response. 
Through  their  combined  breadth  of  vision  and  manip- 
ulative dexterity  they  have  broken  down  that  hitherto 
insurmountable  barrier  which  has  separated  sculpture 
from  humanity,  and  have  made  their  art  a vehicle  for 


Model  reclining 


Young  girl,  seated,  covering  herself 


the  portrayal  of  modern  feeling,  modern  effort,  and 
modern  life. 

In  the  realm  of  plastic  emotion  Angnste  Rodin 
reigns  snpreme.  No  one  has  ever  infnsed  into  cold 
and  intractable  stone  that  same  degree  of  passional 
significance  or  given  to  the  surface  of  marble  a simi- 
lar warmth  and  mellowness  of  tone  and  texture.  The 
imprisoned  feelings  of  mankind  throughout  the  ages 
here  find  their  mute  yet  elof|itent  expression.  In  these 
strangely  contorted  or  grandly  simple  forms,  in  these 
])Owed  heads  or  upturned  faces,  tliese  tense  or  re- 
laxed limbs,  may  be  read  the  entire  story  of  mortal 
desire,  baffling  and  enigmatic  though  it  be.  While 
this  art  has  certain  strong  affiliations  with  the  ])ast, 
it  is  modern  in  spirit,  modern,  aliove  all,  in  its  restless 
search  for  that  solace  and  calm  which,  alas,  it  can 
never  find.  If  the  somewhat  hieratic  secrets  of  latter- 
day  emotion  are  laid  liare  to  ns  in  the  art  of  Angnste 
Rodin,  the  salutary  vigor  of  current  industrialism  is 
the  text  of  Constantin  IMennier’s  more  sturdy  ob- 
servation. Sculpture  with  IMeunier  leaves  the  ab- 
stract world  and  comes  srpiarely  to  earth,  where  it 
chants,  with  a power  and  majesty  hitherto  unheard, 
the  solemn  hymn  of  labor.  The  stalwart  dock-hand, 
the  miner,  and  the  grimy  i)iiddler  and  fonndryman 
are  his  heroes.  There  is  no  feverish  anguish  of  bodv 


or  of  soul  here.  There  is  only  work,  work  performed 
with  a rhythmic  nobility  which  never  fails  to  awaken 
the  sympathy  and  enthusiasm  of  the  onlooker. 

Full  of  purposeful  unity  as  are  the  respective 
legacies  of  Rodin  and  Mennier,  they  are  not  more 
consistent  in  scope  and  aim  than  is  that  of  the  young- 
est member  of  the  group.  Paul  Tronbetzkoy  is  the 
plastic  exponent  of  modern  life  in  the  truest  mean- 
ing of  the  term.  He  it  is  who  has  brought  sculpture 
into  the  social  circle.  No  one  has  expressed  so 
eloquently  the  endearing  sentiment  which  enfolds 
infancy  and  childhood,  or  the  composite  sympathies 
of  the  typical  man  and  woman  of  to-day.  Abstract 
and  passionate  with  Rodin,  concrete  and  poignantly 
human  with  Mennier,  sculpture  in  the  hands  of  Paul 
Tronbetzkoy  is  placed  at  the  disposal  of  contempo- 
rary society  with  a frank  naturalness  such  as  it  has 
never  before  enjoyed.  It  was  of  course  necessary 
that  we  should  first  have  attained  that  intellectual 
force,  that  delicacy  of  feeling,  and  that  refinement  of 
physiognomy  which  he  depicts  with  such  ease  and 
])enetration,  but  having  done  so,  it  is  fortunate  that 
he  has  been  able  to  give  these  qualities  enduring  sem- 
blance. Whatever  he  touches  bears  the  stamp  of 
conviction.  This  art,  though  so  delectable  in  spirit,  is 
devoid  of  superficiality.  While  facing  fact  with  a 

[120] 


Model  resting 


Spanish  dancer 


certain  ingenuousness,  it  goes  deeper  than  is  at  first 
apparent.  It  is  to  the  lasting  credit  of  Paul  Trou- 
hetzkoy  that  he  has  given  his  medium  wider  applica- 
tion than  it  might  otherwise  have  achieved.  On  look- 
ing at  these  expressive  statuettes  or  eloquent  portrait 
busts,  on  studying  these  children  and  animals,  or 
these  matnrer  beings  upon  whom  experience  has  left 
its  unmistakable  impress,  you  cannot  help  realizing 
that  the  world  in  which  they  have  found  themselves 
is  a free  world,  a world  possessing  air,  light,  and 
color  as  well  as  mere  form.  Conventional  concep- 
tions of  sculpture  disa])pear  in  the  presence  of  work 
so  sup])le,  so  alert,  and  so  animated,  and  art  display- 
ing a similar  buoyancy  and  Ilexibility  of  spirit  need 
have  no  fear  in  confronting  either  the  complexities  of 
the  present  or  the  still  undefined  prol)lems  of  the 
future. 


Tlie  following  numbers  are  not  exhibited : 

2,  10,  17,  18,  22,  24,  33,  37,  40,  54,  55,  56, 
57,  58,  62,  76,  and  79  (the  last-mentioned 
number  is  not  a piece  of  sculpture). 


CATALOGUE  OF  PORTRAIT  BRONZES 
AND  OTHER  SCULPTURE 


1 Monument  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  III  (i88i- 
1894),  Place  Znamienskaia,  St.  Petersburg,  dedi- 
cated June  5,  1909 

2 Project  for  a monument  of  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander IT,  Czar  of  Russia  1855  to  1881,  who  from 
1858  to  1861  emancipated  23,000,000  serfs 

3 Project  for  a monument  of  Dante 

4 The  Grand  Duchess  Serge 

5 The  Grand  Duke  Andre  Vladimirovich 

6 Tolstoy  on  horseback  (1899) 

7 1'olstoy  on  horsel)ack  (1910) 

8 Bust  of  Tolstoy  (plaster) 

9 Bust  of  1d)lstoy  (l)ronze) 

10  ddie  two  sons  of  tlie  Prince  Serge  Tron1)etzkoy 

1 1 Count  Wdtte 

12  Prince  Leon  Gahtzin 

13  Eeodor  Clialia])in 

14  Anatole  h'rance 


15  Helleu 

1 6 Baron  Henri  cle  Rothschild 

17  M.  Kramer  on  horseback 

18  Angnste  Rodin 

19  Sorolla 

20  Signor  Ginlio  Savarese 

21  The  painter  Giovanni  Segantini 

22  Signor  Torelli-Viollier 

23  Monsieur  Zadoks 

24  Sir  William  Eden 

25  G.  Bernard  Shaw 

26  Mr.  William  K.  Vanderbilt 

27  Mrs.  William  K.  Vanderbilt 

28  Elder  daughter  of  Mrs.  William  K.  Vanderbilt 

29  Younger  daughter  of  Mrs.  William  K.  Vander- 
bilt (bust) 

30  Younger  daughter  of  Mrs.  William  K.  Vander- 
bilt (full  length) 

31  Mrs.  Lydig 

32  Mrs.  Harry  Payne  Whitney 

33  The  Princess  Gagarin  with  her  daughter 

34  Daughter  of  the  Prince  Scipione  Borghese  on 
horseback 

35  Daughter  of  the  Prince  Scipione  Borghese  (full 
length) 

36  MaiTpiesa  Casa  Enerte 

1:126:1 


37 

3^^ 

39 

40 

41 

4-2 

43 

44 

45 

46 

47 

48 

49 

50 

5^ 

5^ 

53 

54 

55 

56 

57 

58 

59 

5o 

6 1 

62 


44ie  Princess  Baralinsky  (Mine.  Lydie  Yaworska) 

Danseiise  (Mile.  Svirsky) 

iMine.  Decori 

]\Iine.  Goiiion 

Alme.  Iloerneimer 

The  Princess  Pan!  44'onbetzkoy 

44ie  Princess  Paul  Tronbetzkoy  in  street  attire 

The  Princess  Paul  Tronbetzkoy  on  horseback 

Portrait  of  yonng  woman 

Young  woman  knitting- 

Yonng  woman  seated  on  liench 

iModel  reclining 

Yonng  girl  seated,  covering  herself 

Alodel  resting 

Spanish  daneer 

Plindn  dancer 

Portrait  of  yonng  woman 

44ie  Flight  of  44me 

hTther  and  danghter 

Mother  and  daughter 

Idle  Indian  Scout 

Milanese  fiacre  in  the  snow 

Russian  sledge  and  driver  (izvdstchik ) 

Samoyed,  reindeer,  and  dogs 
Camel  with  P>edonin  rider 
Yonng  woman  seated,  with  dog 


63  Young  woman  feeding  a dog 

64  Little  girl  kneeling,  with  dog- 

65  Little  girl  standing,  with  dog 

66  Little  girl  with  dog  lying  down 

67  Little  girl  with  bear 

68  The  wolf  "Vasca” 

69  Young  female  wolf,  “Marguerite” 

70  Samoyed  dog  lying  down  ( i ) 

71  Samoyed  dog  lying  down  (2) 

72  Italian  hunting-dog  (brach) 

73  Mare  and  foal 

74  Pure  blood-horse  belonging  to  Mr.  William  K. 
Vanderbilt 

75  Elephant 

76  Cow  grazing 

77  Cow  with  head  turned  back 

78  Ghouls  (Didactic) 

79  Troubetzkoy  in  his  studio 

80  Athlete  (Health  and  Strength) 


1:^283 


T I in  fin  flancer 


Portrait  of  young  woman 


The  flight  of  Time 


Father  and  daughter 


Mother  and  daughter 


The  Indian  Scout 


Milanese  fiacre  in  the  snow 


Russian  sledge  and  driver  (izvostchik) 


Samoyed,  reindeer,  and  dogs 


Camel  with  Bedouin 


Young  woman  seated,  witli  dog  (first  view) 


Young  woman  seated,  with  dog  (second  view) 


Younc:  woman  feeding  a dog 


Little  girl  kneeling,  with  dog 


girl  standing,  witli  dog 


Little  girl  with  dog  lying  down 


Little  girl  with  hear 


Troubetzkoy  with  his  animals 
St.  Petersburg 


T 


The  wolf,  “V^asca” 


V(mni>‘  wolf,  “Marguerite’ 


Samoyed  dog  lying  down  (i) 


Samoyed  dog  lying  down  (2) 


Italian  lumting-dog  (brach) 


Mare  and  foal  from  the  stal)lcs  of  tlie  Princess  Tenicheff 


Mare  and  foal 


Pure  blood  horse  belonging  to  Mr.  William  K.  Vanderbilt 


Elephant 


Cow  grazini 


Cow  with  head  turned  back 


Ghouls  (Didactic) 


Troubetzkoy  in  his  studio 


Athlete  (Health  and  Strength) 


